Delhi court awards 15 years jail to priest for sexually assaulting boy

New Delhi [India], August 10 (ANI): Delhi’s Tis Hazari court has awarded 15-year jail term to a priest for sexually assaulting a minor boy eight years ago. The court called the offence a crime against society at large.

An FIR was registered at the Punjabi Bagh police station in 2016 in regard to the crime.

Special Judge (POCSO) Harleen Singh on Thursday pronounced the sentence to the convict, a 53-year-old temple priest, who was convicted of the offences under sections of the POCSO Act and other related offences under IPC.

“It leaves an indelible mark upon the psychology of the child. Thus, the court ought to deal with cases of sexual offences against children with utmost sensitivity,” special judge said in the order pronounced on August 8.

The court in the order said that the convict is a priest of the temple, targeting and sexually exploiting the minor boy, who was a regular volunteer at the said temple; this fact adds to the gravity of the offence.

While sentencing the convict, the court took a serious view of the offence. It said, “There are no two views about the fact that any sexual offence committed upon the person of a child is not only an unlawful intrusion in the right of his and her dignity and privacy, but it is a crime against society at large. It leaves an indelible mark upon the psychology of the child. Thus, the court ought to deal with cases of sexual offences against children with utmost sensitivity.”

The court had convicted the accused priest in July for the offences under Sections 377 (unnatural offences), 506 (criminal intimidation) of Indian Penal Code (IPC) and under sections 6 (aggravated penetrative sexual assault) and 10 (aggravated sexual assault) of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012.

Prosecution had sought sought maximum punishment for the priest.

The court noted that the victim boy used to clean the temple as a volunteer, where he was sodomised and he was also forced to touch priest’s private parts. The convict had sexually abused the boy for two months.

The court has also imposed a fine of Rs 1.10 lakh for different offences and the victim has been granted a compensation of Rs 4 lakh.