Imphal: A special court in Manipur has sentenced a 32-year-old man, Ningthoujam Ramesh Singh alias Tondonba, to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment for the penetrative sexual assault of a minor girl under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
Special Court (POCSO), Imphal West Judge Yumkham Rother pronounced the sentence on Monday in connection with an incident reported in November 2021 under the jurisdiction of Sekmai Police Station.
According to court records, the case was initiated following a complaint lodged by the victim’s uncle against Singh, a resident of Awang Wabagai Maning Leikai in Kakching district.
The prosecution case was that Singh sexually assaulted the minor on multiple occasions on November 13 and 14, 2021, when the girl’s father was away.
Sekmai police arrested Singh on November 19, 2021. The subsequent investigation, led by Women Sub-Inspector Babita Thongram, found that the assaults had allegedly taken place at two locations – the rented accommodation of the victim’s family and the cabin of a Tata Dipper truck.
Police subsequently submitted a chargesheet against Singh under Section 6 of the POCSO Act on April 28, 2022. The court framed charges in the case on June 18, 2022.
During the trial, Singh pleaded not guilty and did not produce any defence witnesses. Special Public Prosecutor A. Gopendro examined 12 prosecution witnesses and presented 29 documentary and 20 material exhibits before the court.
The prosecution maintained that the victim’s testimony, supported by medical evidence, established the charges beyond reasonable doubt. The defence, however, argued that the prosecution had failed to prove the allegations to the required standard.
After considering the evidence and arguments from both sides, the court concluded that the accused had committed penetrative sexual assault against the minor on multiple occasions.
The court held that the conditions prescribed under Section 5(l) of the POCSO Act had been established and consequently convicted Singh under Section 6 of the legislation.
Besides the 20-year prison sentence, the court directed the State government to provide Rs 3 lakh as compensation to the victim.
The judge ordered that the sentences run concurrently and also directed that the period Singh had already spent in custody during the investigation and trial be set off against the sentence.