Early Times Report
jammu, Mar 1: Fast Track Court Presiding Officer Kishore Kumar today convicted and sentenced a man to 12-year rigorous imprisonment for raping a girl in a field at Bishnah in 2013.
Sentencing Rakesh Kumar alias Angrez Singh, son of Baldev Singh of Chak Bana, Bishnah, the court also fined him Rs one lakh and directed that the fine be realized from him and paid to the victim. The court said the state should provide monetary assistance to the victim out of its own fund on its failure to protect the dignity of its citizens being their custodian. "Therefore, in my view, a compensation of Rs one lakh will be a just and reasonable amount for providing financial assistance to the family of victim which shall be paid within one month by the state government after the expiry of appeal time.
According to the police case, the victim alleged that she was cutting grass in her fields on April 1, 2013 when Angrez Singh arrived there at about 4 pm, caught hold of her and then raped her. After completion of the investigation, challan was presented in the court convicting him, the court, after hearing the two sides, observed that the purpose of just punishment "is designed so that the individuals in the society, which ultimately constitute the collective, do not suffer time and again for such crimes. It serves as a deterrent. True it is, on certain occasions, opportunities may be granted to the convict for reforming himself but it is equally true that the principle of proportionality between an offence committed and the penalty imposed are to be kept in view. While carrying out this complex exercise, it is obligatory on the part of court to see the impact of offence on society as a whole and its ramifications on the immediate collective as well as its repercussions on the victim". (JNF) |
