Bathinda fast-track court sentences man to life term for raping 2 minors

Tuesday, 23/07/2013

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BATHINDA: A local fast-track court has sentenced a 52-year-old rape accused to life term seven months after he was booked for raping two minor sisters living in his neighbourhood.

The court of additional sessions judge Rajwinder Kaur convicted Prem Pal and slapped a fine of R10,000 on him. The convict has also been told to pay a compensation of R20,000 each to the victims failing which he would have to undergo imprisonment for another six months.

Prem, booked on December 24, 2012, and was in judicial custody, was sent to the local central jail after the sentence.

Prem was a gardener at Guru Hargobind Thermal Power Plant, Lehra Mohabbat. Both victims are 13 and 11 years of age. The convict and the father of the victims belong to Uttar Pradesh and had been living in Bathinda.

The victims’ father is a vegetable seller who used to return home late whereas their mother was visiting her parents when Prem committed the crime. He took advantage of the fact that the girls were alone at home and raped them repeatedly over a week. The victims’ father had alleged that Prem repeatedly raped his daughters for over a week and threatened them to kill them in case they reported the incident. However, the girls sounded their mother when she came back.

NO PUNISHMENT IS ENOUGH: FATHER
“I am satisfied with the verdict but no punishment is enough for such a criminal. I had helped him get a room in my neighbourhood and look what he did to my girls,” said the father of the victims. He said the girls were back to their normal routine and had resumed school.

POLICE HAIL COURT, TECHNOLOGY
While talking to Hindustan Times, Harjit Singh, in-charge of Bhucho check post, said the fast-track court helped them secure the statements of the witnesses. “There were around 20 witnesses. When a case drags on for long, some witnesses get lured and backtrack from their statements helping the accused to escape punishment. But the fast-track court helped us to avoid this,” said Harjit.

He said, “Technology also helped us as the location of the convict’s mobile phone helped us nab him,” said Harjit.