Bengaluru: The 51st City Civil and Sessions Court has on Thursday convicted a 44-year-old man to 10 years of imprisonment for raping a 15-year-old girl. The convict has been identified as Ashwath Narayan and the girl had to undergo miscarriage.
The incident took place in September and October of 2010 in Mahadevapura police station limits. The survivor’s mother, who had an affair with the convict, has also been accused in the case and is currently absconding.
Narayan and the survivor’s father were working in a gas agency. After the father’s death, the convict started an illicit affair with the surviror’s mother. He started living at their house. In September 2010, the girl’s mother could not come home at night one day. Taking advantage of the situation, Narayan had raped the girl. He repeated the same offence in October as well. He was 38-years-old when the incident took place.
The incident came to light when the girl started vomiting frequently and learnt that she was pregnant. When she informed her mother, instead of filing a police complaint, she along with her paramour made the girl forcible swallow a tablet that cause miscarriage. However, the girl revealed about the incident to the neighbours, who took her to the police station and Children Welfare Committee.
The police did not take the complaint till September 2011, though the incident had taken place a year ago. With the intervention of some social activists, the police registered the case filed by the girl herself. After filing of an FIR, the girl’s mother went absconding and has not been traced so far.
The then Inspector of Mahadevapura police station, Nagaraj, had investigated the case and had filed the chargesheet. The accused was charged under section 376 (rape) and 313 (causing miscarriage without woman's consent) of the IPC.
Public Prosecutor M. N. Varad argued on behalf of the government.
The 51st City Civil and Sessions Judge B.S. Rekha found the accused guilty and awarded him 10 years of simple imprisonment and a penalty of '5,000 under section 376 and one year of simple imprisonment and a penalty of '1,000 under section 313 of the IPC.
Varad said that the court also issued directions to the city Police Commissioner to initiate against the then police inspector of Mahadevapura, who did not register a complaint in connection with the case.
“The court has also directed the CWC to initiate action against those who counselled the girl, but failed to ensure a police complaint was registered,” Varad added.
