Team Goemkarponn
Panaji: The High Court affirmed the conviction of a 83-Year-old resident of Aldona for assaulting a minor girl at his residence in April 2012, dismissing his appeal against the verdict and sentence imposed by the trial court.
The Court noted that the victim had initially refrained from disclosing the incident out of fear. However, on May 13, 2012, she confided in family friends, following which a formal complaint was lodged with the police two days later, setting the criminal law in motion.
After a full-fledged trial in which ten prosecution witnesses were examined, the Children’s Court in 2018 found the accused guilty under multiple provisions of the Indian Penal Code and the Goa Children’s Act. He was sentenced to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment and directed to pay a fine of ₹2 lakh.
Challenging the conviction before the High Court, the accused argued that the prosecution case was defective as his daughter was not examined as a witness, the medical evidence did not conclusively support the allegations, and there was a delay in registering the First Information Report.
Rejecting these submissions, the High Court held that the prosecution had placed sufficient and credible evidence on record to establish the guilt of the accused beyond reasonable doubt. The Court ruled that the findings of the trial court did not warrant interference.
Directing immediate compliance with the sentence, the Court ordered that the accused surrender forthwith to serve the remaining sentence, and cancelled the bail bond granted during the pendency of the appeal.
