New Delhi: A man has been jailed for 10 years for kidnapping and raping a 21-year-old girl after forcibly marrying her by a Delhi court which awarded the same sentence to a woman who abetted the crime.
Sentencing 34-year-old Nadeem Khan and 38-year-old Marzina, both residents of Delhi, to ten-year prison term each, the court observed that "sexual violence is not only an unlawful invasion of the right of privacy and sanctity of a woman but also a serious blow to her honour".
"It (sexual violence) leaves a traumatic and humiliating impression on her conscience -- offending her self-esteem and dignity. In normal course a victim of sexual assault does not like to disclose such offence even before her family members much less before public or before the police as it involves her prestige as well as prestige of her family," Additional Sessions Judge MC Gupta said.
The court held Nadeem and Marzina, who were known to the victim, guilty of kidnapping a woman to compel her for marriage. While Nadeem was convicted for raping and causing hurt by means of poison, Marzina was held guilty for abetting the victim's rape.
It also imposed a fine of Rs 35,000 and Rs 25,000 on Nadeem and Marzina respectively.
According to the prosecution, on June 19, 2012, Marzina came to the victim's house and asked her to accompany her to the school on the pretext that she was called by teacher as she had scored good marks in board exams.
Instead of taking her to the school, Marzina took the girl to a house in Sultanpuri where Nadeem was present along with two others and they compelled her for marriage.
The police said that the girl was forcibly married to Nadeem and, thereafter, she was given a sedatives-laced drink after which she became unconscious.
It said the girl was raped by Nadeem and the crime was abetted by Marzina. When the girl regained consciousness, she came to know that she has been raped.
On finding an opportunity, she escaped from there and reached her house where she informed her parents about the whole incident and a case was lodged against the accused.
During the trial, Nadeem and Marzina claimed that they were innocent and falsely implicated in the case.
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