Uttarakhand High Court Upholds Conviction in 2017 Bageshwar Child Rape Case, Cuts Sentence by Two Years
The Uttarakhand High Court has upheld the conviction of a man for raping a 10-year-old girl in Bageshwar's Kapkot area in 2017, reducing his sentence from 12 to 10 years given time already served.
Current Summary
The Uttarakhand High Court has upheld the conviction of Vijay Bahadur for the 2017 rape of a 10-year-old girl in the Kapkot area of Bageshwar district, while reducing his sentence from 12 years to 10 years, citing that he had already spent over nine years in prison. A division bench of Justice Ravindra Maithani and Justice Siddharth Sah delivered the verdict on Wednesday. The POCSO special court in Bageshwar had originally convicted Bahadur in February 2018, sentencing him to 12 years of rigorous imprisonment and a Rs 10,000 fine. According to the prosecution, the accused took the minor inside his tent and sexually assaulted her; her brother witnessed the incident. The bench rejected arguments citing delay in filing the FIR and issues with the Forensic Science Laboratory report, noting the victim's and eyewitness's statements remained consistent and credible under cross-examination.
What We Know
- The Uttarakhand High Court upheld Vijay Bahadur's conviction for the 2017 rape of a 10-year-old girl in Kapkot, Bageshwar.
- His sentence was reduced from 12 to 10 years given over nine years already served in custody.
- The verdict was delivered Wednesday by a division bench of Justice Ravindra Maithani and Justice Siddharth Sah.
- The original 2018 POCSO court conviction carried a 12-year sentence and Rs 10,000 fine.
- The bench found the victim's and her brother's testimony consistent despite defence arguments over FIR delay and the FSL report.
What Is Still Unclear
No open questions at this time.
What Changed
- 1 Oct, 04:50 pmSignal detected: Uttarakhand High Court Upholds Conviction in 2017 Bageshwar Child Rape Case, Cuts Sentence by Two Years