New Delhi [India], April 19 (ANI): Delhi's Tis Hazari Court has awarded life sentence to a 45-year-old man for raping and impregnating a 16-year-old girl. The court delivered the verdict within 20 days of hearing the case.

An FIR was filed at Police Station Nihal Vihar in February 2025. This case was instituted on March 28, 2025. The judgment was passed on April 15, and the court sentenced the convict the very next day.

The incident came to light on February 25, 2025, when the victim was admitted to the hospital with a complaint of abdominal pain. Upon examination, she was found to be in labour and subsequently gave birth to a baby.

Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) Babita Puniya awarded a life sentence to the convict under the POCSO Act.

'For the offence punishable under Section 6 of POCSO, he is sentenced to undergo rigorous imprisonment for life, which shall mean imprisonment for the remainder of his natural life, and to pay a fine of Rs. 10,000,' ASJ Puniya said in the order dated April 16.

During sentencing, the court took into account the ages of both the convict and the victim.

The court said, 'The convict was 45 years old while the victim was just 16 years old when she gave birth to a child, which means that the convict was 29/30 years older than the victim when he started sexually assaulting her. The comparative age of the victim and the accused is certainly an aggravating factor.'

The court further noted, 'The convict had preyed upon an innocent and vulnerable girl child to quench his lust. He repeatedly made the victim the object of his lust and made her pregnant. She had to go through labour pains at the age of innocence.

'I have no doubt in my mind that this must have been an excruciating pain that the victim/child had endured,' the judge said.

The court awarded the victim compensation of Rs 19.5 lakh.

While granting compensation, the court said, 'She must have suffered and may still be suffering mental pain and agony because of the conduct of the convict. Though the suffering of the victim cannot be compensated in monetary terms, yet it would facilitate her to equip herself with desirable skills or education, which would in turn help her to achieve some level of independence.'

'Thus, she shall also be entitled to Rs 2,00,000 under the head of mental injury and Rs 4,00,000 under the head of pregnancy,' the court ordered.

The Convict was known to her father. She used to call him uncle. (ANI)