A Gurugram court has convicted four men in a 2021 case involving the rape of a 13-year-old girl in Manesar, sentencing three of them to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment each and the fourth to five years, police said on Saturday.
The case dates back to November 17, 2021, when the four accused allegedly sexually assaulted the minor in a room in Naharpur, Gurugram, according to the complaint filed by the girl’s mother the next day at the Women police station in Manesar. The court of Additional Sessions Judge Dr Sunita Grover delivered the verdict on Thursday.
Police registered a case under Section 6 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and Section 376(3) (committing rape against a female under 16 years of age) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Sections 376(D) (gang rape) and Section 365/34 (two or more people jointly kidnapped or abducted someone with the intention of keeping them secretly and wrongfully confined) of the IPC were subsequently added during the investigation. Following the trial, the court convicted all four on the basis of the evidence and witness testimonies presented in the case. The case was registered nearly five years ago, and the verdict follows the conclusion of the trial in the special court dealing with cases involving sexual offences against children.
The four accused were arrested during the investigation, and a chargesheet was filed before the court.
