Rajasthan: Bundi POCSO court convicts 24-year-old rapist to 20-year jail | Jaipur News

The convict, along with his friend, Sonu abducted a 16-year old girl around 22 months ago in Basoli police station area of Bundi and raped her. (Represenatative image)

KOTA: A POCSO court in Bundi convicted 24-year old Banwari Meena to 20-years imprisonment despite the rape survivor and her family members turning hostile before the court.
The court, on the basis of scientific evidences of presence of semen DNA of the convict in vaginal swab of the minor rape survivor, also slapped a fine of Rs. 70,000 upon the convict on Thursday.
For the speedy trial in the matter, Bundi district police included the case under ‘Case Officer Scheme’ after the minor survivor had lodged a case in the matter in Basoli police station on February 3, 2020 and submitted a charge sheet against the accused in 30 days on March 5, 2020.
“The FSL report of ‘presence of semen DNA of the accused in vaginal swab of the minor rape survivor’ proved decisive in the conviction after the survivor had turned hostile in the court. The court held him guilty of rape and convicted him to 20-years of imprisonment,” said the investigating officer in the case under ‘Case Officer Scheme’, DSP and CO Hindoli, Shyamsunder Vishnoi.
The convict, along with his friend, Sonu abducted a 16-year old girl around 22 months ago in Basoli police station area of Bundi and raped her. However Sonu was acquitted in absence of evidence against him.
The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) court -1 convicted Meena, a resident of Talera police station area, Bundi for abducting and raping the 16-year old girl from a village under Basoli police station area of the district, public prosecutor at POCSO court – 1, Rakesh Thakur told on Friday.
After the family members of the minor survivor turned hostile, the statements of 17 witnesses, including policemen, who had collected the evidence and investigated the matter; medical staff that conducted medical examinations upon the survivor, proved significant in the conviction, he added.
“The hostile minor survivor refused to identify the accused in the court after the family members of the survivor had compromised with the accused. Legal action would also be initiated against the hostiles,” said DSP Vishnoi on Friday.
Earlier, the rape survivor in her report alleged the convict alongwith his friend, Sonu, abducted her from her house on a motorbike on February 2, 2020 and took her to nearby deserted place, where Meena forcibly raped her while his friend stood guarded.
(The victim’s identity has not been revealed to protect her privacy as per Supreme Court directives on cases related to sexual assault)