New Delhi: A man, accused of attempting to rape his paramour`s minor daughter, has been sentenced to five years in jail by a Delhi court which said he acted like a "beast" without thinking that the victim treats him as her father.
Additional Sessions Judge Virender Bhat awarded the jail term to Haryana resident Mukesh Kumar saying his crime "sends shivers down one`s spine" and this painful situation "haunts many parents in this "holy land where girls are worshipped as a form of Goddess".
The court turned down his leniency plea saying the crime is of extremely grave and severe nature and he deserves an exemplary sentence, which is the "cry of the day as the crime against women particularly against minor girls needs to be checked".
"The criminal act committed by convict (Mukesh) depicts utmost depravity on his part. He has acted like a beast or a wild animal without thinking for a while that his prey is none other than a girl who treats him as her father, if not his own daughter.
"Just a thought of a man ravishing or attempting to ravish his daughter like minor girl or his foster daughter sends shivers down one`s spine," the judge said, which also imposed a fine of Rs 70,000 on the convict.
Mukesh was arrested by the police on the complaint lodged by the 12-year-old girl`s mother, who alleged that on October 30, 2011 the accused had confined her daughter in a room and tried to rape her.
She had told the police that after the death of her husband in 2006, she used to do work of scavenging at Mukesh`s medical store here.
During that period, Mukesh got acquainted with the victim`s mother and they both entered a live-in relation. He had been paying her money regularly, the police said.
The judge observed, "It is the admitted case of convict that he had illicit sexual relations with widowed mother of the victim. He used to take care of all the basic needs of the family. The victim as well as her mother reposed utmost trust upon him.
"The victim, though not the real daughter of Mukesh, was like his daughter or foster daughter. He used to drop her at the school and bring her back during holidays. Girl treated him like his father and addressed him as `papa`".
The court said, "Beast in the convict overpowered his rational faculties and he started having a bad eye upon his foster daughter.
"...According to a well hatched plan, (he) took her from home on the pretext of dropping her at the school/hostel but instead took her to some other vacant house and attempted to ravish her. However he could not accomplish the sexual act...," the court noted, adding that there was nobody to save the minor child from the clutches of her "monster foster father."
The court said this is a painful situation which "haunts many parents in this holy land of `Bharat`, where girls used to be worshipped as a form of Goddess and it was considered that where girls are worshipped, there is abode of God".
"Even today, during the holy Navratras, minor girls are worshipped as nine forms of revered Goddess and it is believed that this brings prosperity, happiness and wealth to the household.
"But there are also men like the convict herein who are all out to make the minor girls prey to their beastly lust. They need to be reminded that the girl child is to be worshipped and not to be raped," the judge said.
During the trial, Mukesh`s counsel had contended that the girl`s mother had fabricated a false story and had used her daughter as a pawn.
PTI
