54-year-old man jailed for 14 years for sexually abusing minor girl

A sessions court has sentenced a 54-year-old man to 14-year imprisonment for sexually abusing a minor girl.

Ashok Ramjee was found guilty of committing immoral acts and taking objectionable photos of a five-year-old neighbour who came to his house to play with his daughter in the Gizri area within the limits of the Clifton police station on May 23, 2022.

Additional Sessions Judge (South) Abdul Zahoor ruled that the prosecution primarily relied on the testimony of 11 witnesses, including the victim, as well as medical evidence, and digital evidence in the form of photographs.

"The victim testified about the incident, stating the accused lured her with chocolates and toffees, took off her clothes, and photographed her," he observed. "In cases involving charges under Section 377/B [sexual abuse] of PPC, the statement of the victim can be sufficient for conviction, provided it is credible and corroborated by other evidence. It is settled law that testimony of a victim, especially in cases of sexual offenses, holds significant weight."

The judge sentenced the convict to 14 years of rigorous imprisonment for offence of sexual abuse and ordered him to pay a Rs1 million fine. In case of default, the accused would have to undergo an additional six-month imprisonment.

According to State Prosecutor Irfana Qadri, accused Ashok sexually abused the five-year-old girl on May 23, 2022, at his house near Chandni Chowk, Gizri. Advocate Bahzad Akbar and Syeda Bushra of the Legal Aid Society, who represented the complainant, contended that the prosecution had successfully established the charge against the accused as the victim child fully implicated him in the case, which was also supported by other private witnesses, particularly the daughter-in-law of the accused.

They said that as far as medical evidence was concerned, it was not a case of rape but only sexual abuse of a minor girl; and therefore, only her statement coupled with other independent evidence presented during the trial was sufficient for conviction of the accused.

The child testified that on the evening of May 23, she went to play at Pargeeti Didi's house where her father Ashok was present. She recounted that he enticed her into his room with chocolates, and toffies and removed her clothes. She said he committed immoral acts and took photos of her private parts. The child's mother would leave her at the neighbour's house after she went to work. In his statement under the Section 342 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, the accused denied the allegations of prosecution.