New Delhi:
A 22-year-old youth has been sentenced to life imprisonment by a Delhi court for raping a 77-year-old woman in the Capital. The court observed that the case was a glaring example of how "no woman is safe, whatever her age".
Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) Sanjeev Kumar refused to show any leniency to Bhola Aadivasi, a rickshaw puller from Madhya Pradesh convicted for raping an elderly woman passenger twice his mother's age on March 11, last year.
"This conduct of the convict sends shock waves through countless women passengers, who avail public transport," the ASJ said, adding, "This case is a glaring example that no woman is safe, whatever her age. In this case, the prosecutrix (victim) is a lady of 77 years. The convict is just 22 years old. Yet this has not deterred the convict from raping a hapless old woman."
The court has also convicted Bhola with criminal intimidation, injury and poisoning the victim. The court said that the lady trusted the rickshaw puller implicitly and that he had "different intentions". He gagged her, knocked her unconscious and raped her in a secluded area.
The act of the convict was so "ghastly and inhuman", said the judge, that it cannot be condoned and a lighter sentence cannot be handed.
The ASJ said that this case should set a precedent for crimes against women. "Bhola's severe sentence has been rightfully passed. The court's verdict should act as a deterrent to those wishing to commit heinous crimes against women."