A Court in Kerala today sentenced a man to a cumulative 31 years of imprisonment for raping and impregnating his own daughter in 2016.
Fast Track Judge T G Varghese convicted and sentenced the man based on the DNA evidence retrieved from the aborted foetus as many of the important witnesses, including the victim and her mother, turned hostile and gave statements in favour of the accused.
A sample collected from the aborted foetus matched against a blood sample of the accused indicated that he was the father of the foetus. Special Public Prosecutor Shijo Mon Joseph appeared for the prosecution in the case.
The Court held that a father raping and impregnating one's own daughter was an "extremely heinous act" and the accused does not deserve any mercy.
While the accused was sentenced to a cumulative of 31 years for various offences under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, he would only be serving 10 years which is the highest of the differing quantums of punishment given to him.
The Court also imposed a fine of Rs 75,000 upon the man and besides that directed the District Legal Services Authority to pay Rs 50,000 to the girl for her rehabilitation.
The incident happened in 2016 when the man sexually assaulted his daughter (who was then 14-years-old) several times during the night in their home in Konnathadi village of Idukki district. The victim, her brother and her parents lived together.
With PTI inputs