Man Jailed For Life For Raping, Impregnating Teen Stepdaughter In Rajasthan

A POCSO court in Baran convicted a man and gave him a life sentence for the repeated rape of his 13-year-old stepdaughter in his house, a lawyer said on Wednesday.

The court of special judge Sonia Beniwal on Tuesday also slapped a penalty of Rs 2 lakh for the rape that also resulted in the minor's pregnancy, according to Harinarayan Singh, public prosecutor at POCSO court-2.

After the death of the girl's father when she was very young, her mother entered into a live-in relationship with Kedar Singh, the public prosecutor said.

The victim, her mother and the latter's brother started living with Singh, he added.

The girl's mother also died in March 2022, following which her stepfather began sexually exploiting and raping her, the lawyer said.

After she was three months pregnant, she approached Chhabra police station on February 4, 2023 with support from her maternal uncle and aunt, and lodged a case of rape against her Kedar Singh, he said.

Police lodged a case under Section 376 (rape) of the Indian Penal Code and sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) Act and arrested Kedar Singh after initial investigation, the lawyer said.

Since then, he has been in jail under judicial custody, he said.

Police filed a chargesheet against the accused in POCSO court on March 13, 2023.  The DNA report that matched the foetus in the womb of the minor with the accused was a significant document in the court, where statements of 15 witnesses were recorded and 28 documents were produced during the trial, the public prosecutor said. 

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