Man jailed for seven years for raping 12-yr-old

A man has been given a seven-year jail term by a Delhi court for raping a 12-year-old girl in 2011.
Additional sessions judge Rajneesh Kumar Gupta convicted 45-year-old Badari Mehto, a resident of Nihal Vihar here, and imposed a fine of Rs 2,000 on him, saying the testimony of the victim was "reliable, cogent and inspired confidence".
"The prosecution has proved its case beyond reasonable doubt against the accused that he has committed rape on the prosecutrix and accordingly, the accused is convicted for the offence punishable under section 376 (rape) of IPC," the court said.
According to police, a case was registered against Mehto on the basis of statement of the girl who had said she was raped by the accused in a poultry farm near her house.

The girl told the court that in April, 2011, when she was playing outside her house, Mehto came and took her to a nearby poultry farm and raped her.
She said when she raised an alarm, Mehto fled from the spot, after which she came back to her house and informed about the incident to her father, who called the police.

Mehto was arrested on April 29, 2011.
During the trial, Mehto denied the allegations levelled against him and his lawyer contended that his client was being falsely implicated at the instance of the girl's father as he had failed to return borrowed money of Rs 4,000 to him.

The court, however, convicted Mehto saying that the girl's father was cross examined by his lawyer but "no such material has come on record which would prove the defence of the accused".