Delhi High Court: A Division Bench comprising of Vipin Sanghi and I.S. Mehta, JJ. modified the sentence of the appellant convicted under Sections 363, 376(2)(i) and 506 IPC along with Sections 5(m) and 6 of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012.
The appellant was accused of convicting rape upon a 9 years old girl. He was driver of the school transport facility availed by the girl. The trial court convicted him of the offences mentioned above and he was sentenced to life imprisonment under Section 376(2)(i) along with sentences for other offences. Aggrieved by the same, the appellant filed the instant appeal.
The High Court rejected all his submissions against the judgment of conviction by the trial court. The Court, on perusal of the facts, held that there was no merit in submission of the appellant that identity of the perpetrator of the crime was in doubt. The prosecution evidence was sufficient to bring home the guilt of the accused. Contentions were also raised regarding the sentence awarded. It was submitted that the appellant was 42 years of age and had a family of four minor children and a wife. The Court referred to its previous judgments and reiterated the parameters for assessing the quantum of punishment in cases of rape upon a child which include, inter alia:
- Criminal and crime, both are important for purpose of sentencing;
- Manner of commission of crime is to be considered;
- Violence, if any accompanying the crime;
- Whether the offender was in a position of fiduciary trust or exploited a social or family relationship;
- Impact of the crime on victim;
- Antecedents of the offender;
- Passage of time since offence committed;
- Rehabilitation of the rape victim; etc.
Taking into account all the facts and circumstances of the case and judging them on the aforementioned parameters, the Court was of the view that interest of justice would be met if the sentence of the convict-appellant awarded for the offence punishable under Section 376(2)(i) was reduced from imprisonment for rest of his life to 16 years rigorous imprisonment without remission. Sentence qua other offences was ordered to remain unaltered. The appeal was disposed of in the terms above. [Om Prakash v. State of Delhi,2018 SCC OnLine Del 10732, dated 21-08-2018]
