Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore
Mangalore, Oct 22: The sixth additional district sessions and disposal of sexual offences court on Tuesday October 21 sentenced Harish Gowda to ten years of rigorous imprisonment for raping a minor last year.
The court in its order on October 17 had held 26-year-old Harish, an auto rickshaw driver from Kundadka in Kenja village of Beltangady taluk, guilty of raping a 13-year-old girl in 2012.
The court also imposed a fine of Rs 25,000 on Harish. The quantum of punishment was pronounced by Justice S H Pushpanjali Devi.
Harish was convicted of three charges of rape, abduction and threat to kill. He was sentenced to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment (RI) and Rs 10,000 fine under section 376 of IPC for raping the girl, seven years RI and Rs 10,000 fine under section 363 of IPC for abduction and one year RI and Rs 5,000 fine under section 506 of IPC for threatening her. All the sentences would be served simultaneously.
If Harish fails to pay the fines, he would have to undergo another three years of imprisonment for rape, two more years for abduction and 6 more months for threatening the girl. The fine would be paid to the victim.
The incident had taken place on September 13, 2012. The girl, a student of ninth standard, was returning from her mother's house to her maternal uncle's residence where she was staying for studies when a person identified as Dinesh offered to give her a lift in the auto rickshaw he was travelling by, which was driven by Harish Gowda. While leaving Dinesh at his house, Harish promised to drop the girl at her maternal uncle's place, but instead he took her to a secluded spot in the reserve forest area in Yennegadde village and raped her. He then threatened to kill her if she revealed the incident to anyone and dropped her near her uncle's house. The girl confided in her mother a week later, and a case was registered in Uppinangady police station, soon after which Harish was arrested.
The hearing began on June 6, 2014 and 18 witnesses deposed before the court, and Harish was convicted on October 17.