Karnataka Court sentences father to 20-year imprisonment for raping daughter
Laments distressing trend of fathers, grandfathers, uncles, sexually abusing children
Bengaluru: A 41-year-old autorickshaw driver has been sentenced to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment by special judge KN Roopa of a fast-track court for sexually harassing his minor daughter. The accused, arrested in October 2021 based on a complaint from his wife to Parappana Agrahara police, was also fined nearly Rs 2 lakh.
“Father is the only person who can protect his daughters from the world, but if he himself becomes a monster, the daughters will be helpless,” the judge observed in her order.
The court's judgment highlighted the grave nature of the crime, with the judge expressing deep concern over fathers sexually abusing their daughters. The accused had molested and sexually abused his 13 to 14-year-old daughter over an extended period, using threats to keep her silent. This traumatizing experience left the young girl in a state of confusion, as she struggled to understand the morality of her own father's actions.
Judge KN Roopa underscored the responsibility of the court to protect minors and emphasized the need for stringent sentencing in such cases. The judge lamented the distressing trend of fathers, grandfathers, uncles, and even mothers sexually abusing children, primarily perpetrated by males.
The consequences of child sexual abuse are severe, with victims often experiencing mental and emotional turmoil that can lead to self-harm, addiction, and even suicidal tendencies as they reach adulthood. The judge pointed out that the accused had inflicted lasting damage on his own child, leaving her with a fragmented ego and potential mental health issues.
Following his arrest, the accused spent time in judicial custody at Bengaluru Central Prison from October 7, 2021, to December 12, 2021. He was subsequently granted bail but was remanded back to Central Prison after the recent sentencing on September 15, 2023.
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Congress using hijab issue to pacify minority anger, alleges Karnataka LoP R Ashoka
Bengaluru: Leader of Opposition in the Assembly R. Ashoka has accused the Congress government of using the hijab issue to placate what he described as discontent among minority voters after the Davanagere by-election.
In a post on X on Wednesday, Ashoka alleged that the state government, instead of addressing issues such as price rise, corruption, farmers’ distress and law and order, was attempting to retain its minority vote base by reviving the hijab issue.
Referring to the 2022 dress code introduced by the BJP government, which prohibited hijab in schools and colleges, Ashoka said the Karnataka High Court had upheld the policy and emphasised the importance of discipline in educational institutions.
He questioned the Congress government’s move to revisit the issue and asked whether setting aside the court-backed policy to benefit one community could be described as secularism.
Ashoka further alleged that while the government was willing to permit hijab, it continued to prohibit saffron shawls.
He accused the government of dividing students on religious lines rather than treating schools and colleges as spaces of equality.
Drawing a comparison with Mamata Banerjee’s government in West Bengal, Ashoka claimed that excessive appeasement politics had harmed the state and warned that the Congress in Karnataka could face a similar political response.
He said voters in Karnataka would teach the Congress a lesson for what he termed “vote-bank politics” and for compromising constitutional and judicial principles.
