HC upholds lifer for rapist father

The Bombay high court upheld a sessions court order, which convicted a man for reportedly raping his own minor daughter and sentenced him to life imprisonment. The girl only later discovered that she was 20-weeks pregnant and even gave birth to a child. A division bench of Justice V.K. Tahilr-amani and A.R. Joshi was hearing the appeal of 35-year-old rape convict Satish Chaurasiya, who had been convicted under Section 376 (rape) of the Indian Penal Code by the sessions court, Vasai on December 11, 2009. The girl, who was around 13 years old at the time of the incident, reportedly became a victim of her father’s horrendous acts first in December 2005 and then in February 2006. Chaurasiya threatened her with dire consequences in case she confided about the incidents with her mother or anyone else. The girl, in her statement, said that one day at around 3 pm when her mother had gone out of the house and her brothers were playing outside, her father said that she should not tell what was he going to do with her, otherwise he would beat her. He then took off her clothes and raped her, she had stated. In the following months, on seeing her daughter’s bulging belly, the victim’s worried mother took her to a doctor. The doctor, after seeing the victim, referred the victim to undergo sonography. It was only then found that the victim was 20-weeks pregnant. At the time of lodging an FIR and start of investigations, she was already six-months pregnant. The court relied on the evidence provided by the government’s forensic lab in its report. While passing the order, the court said, “We find that there is sufficient evidence to connect the appellant (Chaurasiya) with the crime. Hence, we find no merit in the appeal. Appeal is dismissed.”