Bilaspur (Chattisgarh),
October 14: The special fast track court in Bilaspur has sentenced a 20-year-old
accused to 20 years imprisonment. The accused Mahesh Baghel was only 18 years
old when the crime was committed.
According to the
report Mahesh and the teenager were involved in a romantic affair. They ran
away and had sexual relations but since the girl was under 18-years of age
when it happened, Mahesh was charged with rape and booked under the Protection
of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act after the police traced the duo.
However, the court took
a stern view of the matter and expressed his concern over increasing rape
cases. The court said that they cannot take a soft approach towards such
crimes.
Mahesh Baghel (20), a
resident of Amapara in Bilha area, befriended a teenager with whom he was acquainted
with. Then they has a romantic relationship and he promised the girl that he
would marry her. They decided to run away on November 29, 2019. After the
girl's disappearance, the family informed the police the next day and the
police traced the duo. Mahesh was booked for rape and kidnapping and the
teenager was rejoined with her family.
Additional Sessions
Judge Vivek Kumar Tiwari sentenced Mahesh to 20 years imprisonment. He said sexual
violence is an inhuman act as well as a violation of the right to the sanctity of a
woman. Such an incident is a serious blow to his highest honour and if such an
incident happens to a minor, then the seriousness of the offence increases, the
court further stated.
However, social activists have been raising concerns about young men being booked and convicted under serious laws like rape and POCSO Act even when it is a case of two young people having a romantic relationship. This is especially true when the girl is a minor even if the accused is just a few months older than the girl as has been seen in many cases. The activist would like that the law would take into account such instances and change the law to tackle this issue in genuine cases.