False marriage promise: Youth gets 10 yrs jail for raping girl

A youth has been sent to 10 years in jail by a fast track court for raping a girl on the false promise of marriage and leaving her after she became pregnant. The court said that after maintaining physical relations with the Muslim girl for over two years, Deepak Dogra refused to marry her and to save himself from legal punishment, he went through "farce of marriage ceremony" despite knowing that it was neither lawful nor valid. "It is clear from the girl's evidence that a farce of marriage ceremony was conducted in a temple by Deepak and they exchanged garlands and he had put vermilion on her head. "This indicates that he never had any intention to marry her. Knowing fully well that he is a Hindu and the girl is a Muslim and the fact that the marriage cannot be solemnised without a priest, the accused went ahead with the farce of the marriage ceremony even after being told by a priest that the marriage is not performed in that temple," Additional Sessions Judge Nivedita Anil Sharma said. The court also awarded a compensation of Rs one lakh to the girl under the Delhi Victims Compensation Scheme. It also imposed a fine of Rs 60,000 on Mubarakpur- resident Deepak stating that if realised the amount should be given to the victim as compensation. According to the prosecution, the 20-year-old girl had lodged a complaint against Deepak in October, 2010 alleging that he had raped her several times in a factory and at her house for over two years on false promise of marriage. She had told the police that 21-year-old Deepak, residing in her neighbourhood, had assured her that he would marry her but after she became pregnant, he refused to do so and also asked her to abort the child. (More)