POCSO court sentences Gujarat man to life till death for raping four minors

A special POCSO court in Gujarat’s Kheda district on December 22 sentenced a 54-year-old mehendi artist and painter to rigorous life imprisonment till death for repeatedly raping four minor girls and recording videos of the assaults. The court also imposed a fine of ₹1.51 lakh and ordered monetary compensation for each of the victims.

Special POCSO Judge P P Purohit convicted the accused under relevant provisions of the Bhartiya Nyay Sanhita for rape of children below 12 years of age, along with stringent sections of the Prevention of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, awarding the maximum punishment prescribed under law.

The prosecution established that the accused, who was unmarried and lived alone, systematically lured the children to his residence with biscuits and chocolates, sexually assaulted them over nearly a year, and filmed the crimes on his mobile phone. He also threatened to kill the victims if they disclosed the abuse.

The case surfaced in October last year after one of the victims confided in her mother, leading to the registration of an FIR. Subsequent investigation revealed that the accused had assaulted three other minor girls earlier, including the sister of one of the victims.

Public Prosecutor P R Tiwari told the court that the investigation proved the charges beyond doubt. “The accused was addicted to pornography. He showed the children explicit videos and then dragged them into the bathroom, where he raped them,” Tiwari submitted.

During searches of the accused’s apartment, police recovered videos of the sexual assaults, along with other incriminating material. Hair strands of the victims were found in both the bathroom and the bedroom, corroborating the survivors’ testimonies.

The prosecution examined 19 witnesses and produced 45 documentary exhibits, arguing that the repeated sexual violence against multiple minors warranted the harshest sentence. Accepting the plea, the court held that the crime fell within the gravest category under the POCSO law.

The court also directed the state to pay ₹2 lakh each to the four victims under the Gujarat Victim Compensation Scheme, emphasising the need for survivor support and rehabilitation.

The verdict underscores the judiciary’s zero tolerance for sexual crimes against children and reinforces the use of the strictest punishment in cases involving prolonged and recorded abuse of minors.