In a landmark judgment, a fast- track court of the city on Monday awarded life sentence to Sunil Karosia and his female friend in the gruesome rape of a 10-year old girl that had rocked the city last year. It is perhaps for the first time that a woman has been awarded life sentence in a rape case.
While taking up the case for final hearing, the District Court Judge Sarita Singh in a jam-packed court premises awarded life sentence to Karosia and his female friend under Section 376 of the IPC and a penalty of Rs5,000 each. Besides the court awarded 10 years of rigorous imprisonment to both the accused under Section 37- (1) and a penalty of Rs3,000 each. In addition to this, the court further awarded six years of imprisonment to both the accused, besides slapping a penalty of Rs2,000 on each of them. Further the court under section 23 awarded six month of imprisonment and a penalty of Rs1,000 each on both of them. All the punishments awarded by the court under different sections will go parallel. The court also ordered the accused to pay a penalty of Rs12,000 to the victim.
Earlier both the accused had been brought to the court under heavy police security. A large number of people had turned up at the court.
According to report, the incident occurred last year between May 30 to June 30, 2013, when a labourer accompanied by 10-year-old daughter and two sons approached Sunil Karosia who runs a poultry form, for work. Karosia agreed to give job to the labourer and accordingly took his 10-year-old daughter to the residence of his female friend Pinki at a flat at Rajkamal Residency in Gomatgiri for the household work. There Karosia kept the girl in captive and started assaulting her physically. In his physical molestation, Karosia was also assisted by his female friend.
The girl was rescued only after the neighbours who came to know about the girl, informed child helpline about the matter which prompted police to carry out raid at the residence of Pinki. After rescuing the girl form her residence, police also arrested Pinki alias Sarita from there. Thereafter, police had raided the residence of Karoia at Kalani Nagar but he was found to be missing. In his absence police had recovered a sword form his residence.
Police in its chargesheet had stated that Karosia had molested the girl for about two months and during the course of his sexual assault, he also indulged in unnatural acts. During his act, he was also assisted by his female friend. Whenever, the victim resisted their sexual advances, she was tortured by the accused, the police chargesheet said.