"No remorse was expressed at any stage of the trial," the judge said. (Representational)
Delhi court has sentenced a priest to life imprisonment for raping two minor girls in a temple, noting that he did not even care for the faith attached to his office as a priest and desecrated the place of worship where the children should have had a safe time.
Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Vijeta Singh Rawat said that 76-year-old priest Vishva Bandhu committed offences upon children within the sacred precincts of a temple and that the court would also be failing in its duty if such predator is set free.
"No remorse was expressed at any stage of the trial. In the facts and circumstances of this case, if leniency is shown, this court would be letting down the children who have fought all odds to pursue the matter. These victims have been scarred for the future," the judge said.
Furthermore, the court observed that such habitual sexual predators cannot be trusted as the convict did not even care for the respect and faith attached to his office as a priest and also desecrated the temple where the children should have had a carefree and safe time.
The court in its July 16 order also quoted from American Poet Maya Angelou's book "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" and said that it captures the pathos created when the dignity of a defenceless child victim is violated by an adult through his violent act of contempt.
Angelou's quote read as, "Then there was the pain. A breaking and entering when even the senses are torn apart. The act of rape on an eight-year-old body is a matter of the needle giving because the camel can't. The child gives, because the body can, and the mind of the violator cannot."
Furthermore, the judge opined that there is no scope for his reformation as extremely vulnerable victims were preyed upon by him despite his old age.
"Considering that minor children aged about 7 and 9 years had been repeatedly raped by the convict irrefragably speaks volumes about the depravity and proclivity in the mindset of the convict which is an aggravating circumstance," the order stated.
The court sentenced him to rigorous imprisonment for life and imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 for rape and five years of rigorous imprisonment, with Rs 10, 000 fine for criminal intimidation.
The judge also granted Rs 7.5 lakh as compensation to each of the victims to secure their emotional and mental health and ensure that they have unhindered education equipping them for a safer future.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)