Panaji: A Pocso court has sentenced a man to 10 years’ rigorous imprisonment for raping a 15-year-old girl in 2024. The girl was found to be four months pregnant. Her mother asked her to undergo an abortion, but she refused and said she wanted to continue the pregnancy.The girl said the relationship was consensual and claimed both families had agreed to it. She also said her mother had told her she could marry the man after she turned 18. She produced a receipt to show she had initiated the marriage process, but the court noted she is still a minor and the receipt could not be relied upon.The man’s advocate sought leniency, arguing he is young – he was 21 in 2024 – the sole earning member of his family, and financially weak. He also pointed to the girl’s statement that the relationship was consensual.Public prosecutor S Navgenkar sought the maximum sentence, arguing the offence was heinous and that the accused man knew she was a minor and still had sexual intercourse with her.The court held that even if they were in love, the girl’s consent was immaterial because sexual intercourse with a minor is statutory rape.“The Pocso Act imposes a minimum sentence. Likewise, Section 376 also imposes a minimum sentence. Once the offence is proved, the court cannot overlook this minimum sentence prescribed by law. However, considering that this relationship is consensual, the survivor has stated that the accused man is maintaining her and her child, and further considering the age of the accused man, a sentence of up to 10 years would suffice in the facts and circumstances of the present case,” observed the presiding officer, fast track special court (Pocso), Panaji, Pooja Kavlekar.The girl met the man when he frequently visited the area for electrical work. He later proposed to her, her mother accepted the proposal, and both families agreed to their marriage once she attained majority.
