Panaji: Supreme Court has suspended the sentence of a man accused of rape until it decides his appeal against his sentence.The apex court observed that the man was incarcerated for over two years and 10 months out of the total seven years of his sentence. The man approached the SC seeking suspension of sentence until his appeal is decided.“The fact remains that the appellant was under incarceration for over two years and 10 months, out of the total seven years of sentence. We also find that there are arguable issues involved in the appeal. Further, the appeal is of the year 2024 and the same might take substantial time for its disposal. Considering the above, the sentence of the appellant is suspended, and he is granted bail on terms and conditions to the satisfaction of the trial court,” Supreme Court stated.The man was convicted for rape under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, and sentenced to seven years rigorous imprisonment. He was 21 at the time of the incident and the survivor was 17 years and three months old. The girl’s mother complained that in 2012, he kidnapped her from her possession and sexually assaulted her, due to which she became pregnant.The chargesheet was filed before the Goa Children’s Court, but he was discharged for offences under the Goa Children’s Act after it was found that the survivor was above 16 at the time, and it was transferred to the Pocso court. An earlier application for suspension of his sentence was dismissed.
