Man gets eight years jail for repeatedly raping daughter

New Delhi: A Delhi court on Friday sentenced a man to jail for eight years for repeatedly raping his 17-year-old daughter and threatening her not to disclose the incident to anyone. Pronouncing the sentence, Additional Sessions Judge TR Naval said the one who was supposed to protect his daughter, had repeatedly committed the crime when her mother, who later died, was admitted in a hospital.

The court in the order said: "Keeping in view the submissions and all relevant factors and circumstances in which the accused committed crime, it would be just and appropriate if deterrent view in sentence is taken as the father, who is supposed to protect his daughter, has committed sexual assault on her repeatedly particularly when the mother of the victim was seriously ill and lying in a hospital."

It added: "Accordingly, the convict is sentenced to undergo rigorous imprisonment for eight years for the offence under section 376 (rape) of the IPC."

A fine of Rs 7,000 was also imposed on the convict, the court said, adding that if realised, Rs 5,000 be given to the girl as compensation.

"Besides this compensation, she will also be entitled to get other compensation, if available to her under other laws," the judge said.

The incident took place when the girl's mother, who was suffering from tuberculosis, was admitted to a hospital and the victim after taking care of her mother, used to return home at night in June 2011, as per the prosecution.

The victim had told the court that on the night of June 17, 2011, her 38-year-old father raped her and threatened to kill her if she disclosed about it to anyone.

The prosecution said that the girl had also said that the accused, father of two other children, used to rape her every night for almost a month. After the death of her mother, she finally disclosed the incident to her aunt.

When the accused came to know that his daughter had disclosed the matter to their relatives, he fled.

The aunt on Aug 8, 2011 called the accused to her house on the pretext of meeting him and he was then arrested by Gokulpuri police, the police said.

The court rejected the plea of the accused that he was falsely implicated by his daughter at the instance of his sister-in-law as there was a delay in lodging FIR.