Punishment of the accused who raped and burnt the victim with cigarette upheld

Bilaspur. The High Court rejected the appeal filed against the sentence given by the Sessions Court in the case of kidnapping and rape of a young woman. The court considered the statement of the victim as credible evidence and upheld the decision of the Sessions Court. According to the prosecution, on 13 January 2014, the victim was forcibly brought to Bilaspur by an accused named Chautala from Katghora bus stand in a bus. Another accused Sanjay Rajput took the victim to Gurgaon by train and locked her in a room there. The accused and his partner raped the victim. The incident of burning her with cigarette on protest also came to light.

The victim informed her mother about her kidnapping and hostage from the landlord’s phone. Police and family members reached Gurgaon and freed the victim. 12 June 2017: Special Court (Atrocity) convicted Sanjay Rajput and imposed a total sentence of 10 years and fine under various sections. An appeal was made against this sentence. The accused argued in the High Court that the victim did not call anyone for help during the kidnapping even though she was travelling in a bus. There are no witnesses of the accused accompanying the victim. Justice Ravindra Kumar Agarwal rejected the appeal, considering the statements of 12 prosecution witnesses and the victim’s evidence sufficient.

The court said- ‘In rape cases, the victim’s evidence is sufficient to convict. The accused committed the crime in an organised manner and there is no doubt in the victim’s statement.