NHRC officer gets 7-year jail term for raping woman

A senior officer of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) was sent to seven years in jail by a court here for raping a woman by concealing his marital status and marrying her.

Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) Virender Bhat awarded seven years jail to convict Jagdish Nautiyal, a gazetted NHRC officer for establishing physical relations with a widow and marrying her by concealing his first marriage.

The court observed that the convict is the son of a retired assistant registrar of the high court, and said this made the "offence committed by him more serious."

"The persons like the convict (Nautiyal) are expected to exhibit a moral character of the highest degree and serve as an example in the society," the judge said in the order delivered Monday.

Observing that assault upon a socially weak widow after inducing a belief in her mind that she has become lawfully married to the assailant cannot be termed an offence of lesser gravity, the court slapped a fine of Rs. 1.5 lakh on him.

According to the prosecution, the victim had alleged that the convict had established physical relations with her and married her after concealing his first marriage.

Nautiyal married her after the death of the victim's husband. A few months after the marriage, the victim came to know that he was married and had two kids, the prosecution said.

A case was registered against him July 2011 in Nanakpura in west Delhi.

The court observed that despite being happily married and having children, he was "overpowered by excessive erotic desire" and approached the victim soon after the death of her husband.