New Delhi, Apr 19 (PTI) A court here has sentenced a man to rigorous life imprisonment for kidnapping and sodomising a 12-year-old boy in February 2023, saying the crime violated the values of human dignity and that he deserves to be permanently removed from the society.

Additional Sessions Judge Babita Puniya was hearing the arguments on the quantum of sentence against the 47-year-old man, who was convicted under Section 6 (aggravated penetrative sexual assault) and the penal provisions for unnatural offences.

In its order dated April 16, the court said, “The crime committed by the convict was not only grave and heinous but also alarming and violated the values of human dignity, safety and security. Thus, the demand for his permanent removal from the society is justified because if he is allowed back into the society, he could pose a threat to it.” The court sentenced him to rigorous imprisonment for life, which meant imprisonment for the remainder of his natural life.

ASJ Puniya urged policy makers to consider “socio-psychological factors” to find lasting solutions for the increase in rape cases.

“Unless the strategy to eliminate rape from our society addresses the causes of child rape, we will continue to treat the symptoms, not the causes, of the same and other sexual crimes,” the judge said.

She rejected the convict’s plea for leniency, saying the child had deposed about being thrashed when he screamed in pain.

“Thus, one who did not show mercy to the child does not deserve the sympathy of the court,” she said.

The judge also trashed the convict’s plea for a lenient sentence on the grounds of being the sole breadwinner for his family.

“I am not convinced with the plea in his mitigation. He must be aware that by committing the crime he will put his family in danger. So, the fact that he is a breadwinner cannot be considered as a mitigating circumstance in his favour,” she said.

The judge further said that the convict’s illiteracy cannot be considered as a mitigating factor particularly in “morally repugnant” POCSO or sodomy cases. PTI MNR ZMN