Man gets 20 years in jail for raping 15-year-old daughter
Thane (PTI): A special fast track court in Kalyan in Thane sentenced a man to 20-year rigorous imprisonment for repeatedly raping his 15-year-old daughter.
Special (POCSO) Judge VA Patravale found him guilty under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and Indian Penal Code (IPC). It also fined the man Rs 28,000, which is to be given to the victim as compensation.
As per the prosecution, the victim, who had been living with her grandparents following her mother's demise, moved in with her father a few months prior to the incident.
The abuse began with sexual advances in September 2019 and culminated in rape on October 13, 2019, while the girl's stepmother was away. The accused subsequently kept the victim under strict surveillance, changing mobile passwords and escorting her to school to prevent her from seeking help, the prosecution told court.
The matter came to light on November 5, 2019, when the victim managed to flee to her maternal aunt's residence following further harassment, leading to the registration of an FIR at Manpada police station.
In its order, the court said the evidence of the victim of a sexual assault stands almost on par with the evidence of an injured witness and to an extent is even more reliable.
"The court must, while evaluating evidence, remain alive to the fact that in a case of rape, no self-respecting woman would come forward in a court just to make a humiliating statement against her honour such as is involved in the commission of rape on her," the order stated.
The testimony of the victim in such cases is vital and unless there are compelling reasons which necessitate looking for corroboration of her statement, the courts should find no difficulty to act on the testimony of a victim of sexual assault alone to convict an accused, it added.
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Karnataka Cabinet okays IPL matches at Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru
Bengaluru (PTI): The Karnataka Cabinet on Thursday decided to permit the KSCA to hold IPL matches at the Chinnaswamy Cricket Stadium here.
Cricket matches have remained suspended at the stadium after celebrations marking Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s (RCB) maiden IPL title win in June 2025 ended in tragedy, leaving 11 people dead and more than 30 injured in a stampede outside the venue.
The government had formed a committee headed by Justice John Michael Cunha to inquire into it. It gave a slew of recommendations.
Later, a panel led by Greater Bengaluru Authority Chief Commissioner M Maheshwar Rao was constituted to see whether the recommendations were fulfilled or not.
"Today we decided to allow Indian Premier League matches to be played, but the Cabinet asked the Home Department to fix conditions through issuing special orders (for the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) and RCB to fulfill them). The order may be issued in the next two days," Karnataka Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H K Patil told reporters.
According to him, one of the conditions was that the gates should be widened.
The minister also said that the Cabinet discussed Special Intensive Revision. Some discussions took place on the manner and the process in which it is being conducted in some places. The Cabinet asked the Law and Parliamentary Affairs department to study it and submit a report, Patil said.
When asked whether the report will be submitted by the month end, he said, "definitely".
