Court awards life imprisonment in 2023 Dalit minor assault case

A court has sentenced a man to life imprisonment for raping a 17-year-old Dalit girl in 2023, a lawyer said on Thursday.

Special Judge (POCSO) Vinod Kumar convicted Ambreesh Gupta on Wednesday and imposed a fine of Rs 81,000. Special Public Prosecutor (POCSO) Vinod Singh said Gupta will have to undergo an additional six months in jail if he fails to pay the fine.

According to the prosecution, Gupta allegedly established a physical relationship with the minor after promising to marry her. When the girl later insisted that he marry her, he allegedly threatened her and used casteist slurs against her.

The survivor's father subsequently filed a complaint, following which police registered a case against Gupta under relevant provisions of the law, including Section 376 (rape) and Section 506 of the erstwhile Indian Penal Code, along with provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

The court's conviction came after consideration of the prosecution's case and evidence presented during the proceedings.

with inputs from PTI