In a major verdict that is likely to trigger a debate, the Madras High Court has slashed the sentence of a 19-year-old man from life imprisonment to 10 years in connection with a rape case involving a minor girl. Pronouncing the judgment, the high court observed that it is hard to ignore the ‘adverse impact of hormonal changes’ when a person is an adolescent.
The verdict comes after the man approached the high court challenging the life sentence given by the trial court under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and other charges, reported Indian Express.
‘Hormonal changes in adolescence’
Delivering the judgment on June 15, a bench comprising Justices N Anand Venkatesh and K K Ramakrishnan maintained that the convict was known to the victim for a longer period and was barely 19 years old when the crime was committed. The court also said that it can’t rule out “adverse impact of hormonal changes” in that age. The bench ruled that the punishment by the trial court was harsh in nature and must be modified.
School ‘affair’
The history of the case dates back to when the victim was studying in a school. The victim belonging to the SC community knew the accused since she was in class 8 and their relationship subsequently turned romantic.
‘The appropriate punishment for accused’
While deliberating on the case, the bench discussed what should be the appropriate punishment for the accused, upon whom the trial court pronounced the enhanced punishment under the POCSO Act. Reviewing the case, the bench took note of the fact that the youth was just 19 years old when he committed the offence and the survivor as well as the accused knew each other for too long.
But the court also maintained that no matter how romantic the relationship was, the girl was a minor and could not have consented for the sexual activity and thus provisions of the POCSO Act remain in place. In the end, the court took into consideration the harmomal impact in the adoloscence and concluded that the life sentence by trial court was severe in nature.
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With 13 years on the line, Ashish Kumar Singh loves everything when it comes to movies, music, travel and pop culture. Formerly employed at ANI, Pinkvilla, India Today and HT, Ashish has interviewed some of the top celebrities of India, including Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan, Ranveer Singh, Ranbir Kapoor and Hrithik Roshan, among others. Breaking news excites him and deadlines are what he chases. Interviewing comes naturally to him. Hit him up at ashish.kumar02singh@gmail.com.
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