Sunit Dhawan

Tribune News Service

Rohtak, February 7

The court of Additional Sessions Judge-cum-Special Judge Rajinder Pal Goyal today acquitted a Rohtak youth, who was convicted of raping a minor girl and sentenced to life imprisonment by a local court.

The youth, Prince, has spent more than five years in jail for the alleged crime.

“The prosecution has failed to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt and the accused is acquitted of the charges levelled against him,” the Judge said in the order.

Prince was 18 when he sentenced to life imprisonment. He was pursuing B Com at that time.

“Finally, justice has prevailed. But my career has been ruined. I used to score up to 90 per cent marks in my exams, but I had to leave my studies. My father suffered heart attack and my family had to raise loans for my legal battle. Can anyone return the five precious years of my life without having committed any offence?” Prince said as he broke down.

His counsel Gaurav Khurana said an FIR pertaining to the alleged rape of a four-year-old girl was registered in September 2013 on the basis of a complaint lodged by the girl’s father.

A 10-year-old boy, who worked at a tea stall, was accused of sexually assaulting the girl. The boy had even confessed to the crime and was awarded a token punishment by the Juvenile Justice Board.

However, a few days later, the girl’s father had moved another complaint, in which he accused Prince, the son of the tea stall owner, of raping his daughter. Another statement of the girl was recorded under Section 164 of the CrPC on her father’s request.

Prince had claimed he was in a multiplex here at the time of the occurrence of the alleged crime. He had even produced CCTV footage in support of his claim, but his plea was not heard.

After his conviction, he had moved the HC, which granted him bail, set aside the order sentencing him to life imprisonment and remanded the case back to the Rohtak sessions court.