Kolkata: A 30-year-old man convicted by Alipore court for rape of his neighbour–a 18-year-old hearing and speech impaired woman–was sentenced on Tuesday to 10 years rigorous imprisonment and fined Rs 2 lakh.The District Legal Service Authority (DLSA) South 24 Parganas was also directed to provide adequate compensation for rehabilitation to the victim.The case dates back to Jan 1, 2023, when convict Saddam Sk, victim’s neighbour, had lured her out of her home in Bishnupur and taken her to a pond nearby. She was later, on the same day, recovered by her mother from the pond area. The victim gestured to her mother about the rape and on the same day a complaint was filed before Bishnupur police station.A FIR was started against Saddam, under section 376(2)(l) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) (rape of a woman suffering from mental or physical disability) at Bishnupur Police Station on January 2, 2023. Sahana Mallik was the investigating officer in the case.Since then, the convict was kept in judicial custody, the public prosecutor Sangeeta Bapuli said. During the trial, the prosecution examined 12 witnesses. The Additional District & Sessions Judge, Fast Track Court, Alipore Judges’ Court, South 24 Parganas taking note of the oral and documentary evidence found Saddam guilty of the charges and convicted him on Monday. The sentence was delivered on Tuesday.
