2 get 20-yr jail for sexually exploiting minor girl

Kota: A POCSO court in Jhalawar Saturday sentenced a man and a woman to 20 years in jail for sexually exploiting a minor girl in Jhalawar's Kamkheda police station area four years ago in March 2021. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 20,000 on each accused. The accused have been identified as Hanif (49) and his partner Sonu alias Sugna (38), residents of Manhorethana police station area, public prosecutor Deepesh Bhargav told TOI.

The minor survivor's father had filed a report with Jhalawar SP on March 17, 2021, alleging that Hanif and Sugna abducted his minor daughter on March 12 and Hanif sexually exploited her while Sugna assisted him. On the directions of the then SP, the police registered a case against Hanif and Sugna under sections of the IPC and POCSO Act in Kamkheda police station and began an investigation. However, the police gave the two accused a clean chit and submitted a Final Report (FR) to the court on Nov 23, 2022.

The survivor, on the same day, filed a protest petition against the FR, following which the court ordered the resumption of the trial and statements of witnesses, Bhargav said. POCSO Court-2 found the two guilty and passed the sentence.

The convicts have been in jail since their arrest following the trial's resumption in Nov 2022.