Chennai, Nov 25 (IANS): A court in Tamil Nadu's Tiruppur district has sentenced a 29-year-old man to double life imprisonment for raping and forcibly marrying a minor girl.
The incident occurred in 2016 when the man was 24 years old and the minor girl 14.
The man, a relative of the girl, raped her while she was alone at home and was taking a bath. Later his parents and his aunt threatened the parents of the girl with dire consequences if they did not agree for the girl to be married off to him.
The marriage was solemnised on February 17, 2016, after which the minor girl's mother approached the all-women police station at Udumalpet. Police charged him under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses (Pocso) Act, the Indian Penal Code, and Child Marriage Act and filed the charge sheet before the Mahila court.
Mahila Court judge, Sugandhi, sentenced the person with double life imprisonment under the Pocso Act, seven years rigorous imprisonment for criminally intimidating the minor girl, and two years for child marriage.
The court sentenced his parents to two years rigorous imprisonment for conducting child marriage.
Also slapping a fine of Rs 30,000 on him, the court directed the state government to pay a compensation of Rs 4 lakh to the girl.
The girl's parents and the man's aunt were acquitted.