Court Awards 7-Year Jail To Man For Raping Delhi University Student

New Delhi: A 58-year-old businessman has been sentenced to seven years imprisonment by a court in Delhi for raping a Delhi University student after abducting her in his car from outside her college in 2010.

Additional Sessions Judge Pawan Kumar Matto awarded the jail term to Mukesh Singhal, a father of two daughters, after holding him guilty of raping the 17-year-old victim, a first-year honours student of a West Delhi college.

The court relied on the testimony of the girl and the medical records while convicting the man for the offences of rape, abduction and threatening to kill her under the IPC.

"Relying upon the statements of material witnesses i.e. prosecutrix and statement of doctor who has proved her MLC and in view of prompt arrest of the accused, registration of FIR, medical examination of prosecutrix, and of the accused ... I am inclined to hold that prosecution has successfully proved its case beyond reasonable doubt that accused Mukesh Singhal had forcibly kidnapped the prosecutrix, threatened to kill her and after putting her in the fear of her death. He has raped a minor girl...," the judge said.

The court also imposed a fine of Rs 9,000 on the convict. It said Mr Singhal had concocted the story that the victim had taken lift from him or demanded money from him.

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According to the prosecution, the incident took place on the evening of August 4, 2010 when the girl was returning home from her college and Ashok Vihar resident Mr Singhal stopped his car near her and asked the way to a hospital.

When the girl told him that she did not know about it, he dragged her in the car and threatened to kill her if she raised an alarm, it said, adding he took her to a secluded street near Moti Nagar in West Delhi and raped her.

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When the man started his car, the victim jumped out of the running vehicle and shouted for help after which he was caught by the passers-by, beaten up by them and handed over to the police, it said.

During trial, Mr Singhal denied the allegations leveled against him and claimed that the girl had taken a lift from him outside her college. He alleged that she started blackmailing and demanding money from him and on refusal, she falsely implicated him in the case.

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The judge said the court was able to understand that after such an incident, the victim who was a minor would have suffered a jolt. He also said the girl's testimony was reliable, trustworthy and inspired confidence.