4-year-old girl takes stand, attacker gets 20 years in jail
Aniruddha Hanwat, who was also released on bail, had made the policemen very restless for some time even after going underground in Seoni, Madhya Pradesh.
Nagpur: In the case of sexually abusing a four-year-old girl in January 2020, Special Judge OP Jaiswal on Friday sentenced Aniruddha Hanwat to nearly 20 years imprisonment and a fine. The victim, who was one of about eight witnesses, narrated her ordeal before the court leading to a conviction.
Aniruddha Hanwat, who was also released on bail, had made the policemen very restless for some time even after going underground in Seoni, Madhya Pradesh. A source also said that the police had to track down Aniruddha Hanwat, who was avoiding appearing in court, which delayed the trial.
The minor, who often used to go to the tenant’s room to play with her minor son, was abused by Aniruddha Hanwat when she was alone with him. A case has been registered against Aniruddha Hanwat at Pardi police station and he has been arrested.
The police had initially charged Aniruddha Hanwat under sections 354A, 354B of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and sections 8 and 10 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses Act (POCSO), 2012. Section 376(A)(b) of IPC was also added during the framing of charges.
Court took note of the statement of the minor
The court convicted Hanwat under sections 4 and 6 of the POCSO Act and sentenced him to 20 years of imprisonment and a fine of Rs 500. The court sentenced Hanwat to three years imprisonment under section 8 of POCSO and also imposed a fine of Rs 200.
Special Public Prosecutor Rashmi Khaparde has also said about this that the child of about four years has narrated the story of her abuse in front of the court with steely nerves, which has left many people completely shocked.
“The court took note of the statement of the minor, which was ongoing. In her own vein, the mother narrated how her panic-stricken daughter ran towards her and hugged her scared after the incident,” Khaparde said and adding that court wanted to send out a strong message of zero-tolerance towards sexual exploitation of children in the society.
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