70-year-old, his accomplice get life term for raping minor in Kota

A POCSO court has sentenced a 70-year-old man and a 40-year-old accomplice to life imprisonment for raping a minor girl two years ago in Rajasthan's Kota district.

POCSO Court-II Judge Narendra Kumar Sharma on Friday pronounced the verdict on Babulal Mali alias Krishan Murari (70) and his associate Mohit Mali alias Manoj (40), both residents of Deoli Manjhi village in Kota district, for raping the 13-year-old girl of the same village, public prosecutor Vijay Kachawa said.

The court also imposed a fine of Rs 35,000 on each of the two convicts, he added.

The two men were booked for gang-rape of the minor girl under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act in Deoli Manjhi police station on May 30, 2017.

The then Class VII girl had lodged a complaint in which she alleged that Babulal Mali, in the pretext of offering a cucumber, took her to a well in the village, the public prosecutor said.

Babulal along with his associate Mohit took the girl inside a kutcha room near the well where the duo took turns and raped her, the prosecutor further said.

The two men were held guilty for gang-rape and convicted to life term in jail till their remaining lives, Kachawa said.

The statements of at least 14 witnesses were recorded in court during the trial, he added.