Bombay High Court upholds 10-year sentence for man accused of raping minor wife
Mumbai: The Bombay High Court has upheld a 10-year rigorous imprisonment sentence for a man convicted of raping his minor wife, affirming that consensual sex with a minor, even within marriage, constitutes rape under Indian law.
The Nagpur Bench, led by Justice G.A. Sanap, clarified that the defence of consensual sex with a minor wife is not legally valid, as the age of consent remains 18. Justice Sanap emphasised, "Sexual intercourse with a girl below 18 years of age is considered rape, whether she is married or not."
According to case details, the accused, a former neighbour of the survivor, allegedly coerced her into a sexual relationship, resulting in pregnancy. Although the two entered into a marriage, their relationship soured, leading the survivor to file a complaint. Reports indicate that the accused initially promised marriage and staged a "marriage ceremony," which the court deemed a farce. Following the marriage, the accused’s behaviour became abusive, reportedly involving physical assault and pressure to undergo an abortion.
The accused later denied paternity, leading the woman to file a police complaint in May 2019. DNA evidence ultimately confirmed the accused as the biological father of the child. The High Court rejected the accused's claim of consensual relations, noting that the survivor was under 18 at the time of the offence.
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Four booked for tying 18-year-old to tree, beating him up in UP's Pratapgarh
Pratapgarh (UP) (PTI): Four people were booked here for the abduction and assault of a man who they allegedly tied to a tree and beat up, police said on Wednesday.
The incident, a video of which has gone viral, took place on Tuesday afternoon under the Kunda police station limits.
The FIR was registered on Wednesday evening based on a complaint from the victim's father.
According to Keshav Prasad Yadav, a resident of Mauli village, some people called his 18-year-old son Nikhil Yadav on the phone and asked him to come out of his house around 2.30 pm on Tuesday.
As he reached outside the village as instructed, the accused allegedly forced him into a car and took him towards the Tinpedwa forest area, where they tied him to a tree and assaulted, the complainant said.
The attackers also recorded a video of the incident and circulated it on social media. The purported video shows the men thrashing Nikhil one after another, while one of them is assumed to have recorded the act.
Kunda Station House Officer Manoj Pandey confirmed the incident and said efforts are underway to identify and arrest all the accused.
Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav has shared the video on social media, describing the incident as reflective of a "dominant mindset" against the PDA (Pichda or Backward, Dalit, and Alpasankhyak or Minority), and demanded strict action against the accused.
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