Shahjahanpur: A fast-track court awarded life imprisonment to two youths for gangraping a 15-year-old schoolgirl in Shahjahanpur in 2015. In her judgment, additional district and sessions judge Farah Matloob said the guilty were given harsh punishment considering the effect such crimes have on the society in general.

According to the police, an FIR was registered against Pappu Kumar and Anmol Kumar at Gadhiya Rangeen police station in the district in January 2015. The two were charged under IPC’s section 376 (rape) and relevant sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

A chargesheet was filed against the accused five months after the case was filed. During the court trials, both the accused were found guilty on the basis of the statement of the victim and her medical report. Both the accused were sentenced to life in jail along with a penalty of Rs 75,000 each.

Public prosecutor Umesh Chandra told TOI, “This judgment is a landmark verdict in the region because it came in such a quick time. The court observed that the fine collected from the accused will be given to the victim to secure her future.”