Pune's District and Sessions Court has sentenced a man to 25 years of rigorous imprisonment in a rape case filed under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses (POCSO) Act.
The court, presided over by District and Sessions Judge S.B. Rathod, delivered the verdict following a thorough investigation and legal proceedings.
The accused, Prabhakar Suryakant Patil, was charged under multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and POCSO Act, including section 376(2) (E) (1), section 354, and POCSO sections 5, 6, 7, 8, and 10.
The case was filed at the Hadapsar Police Station, and the trial took place at the Special District and Sessions Court in Shivajinagar, Pune.
Public prosecutors Supriya Desai/More and Pathare represented the state during the trial. The defense and prosecution presented their arguments before the court, which ultimately found Prabhakar Suryakant Patil guilty of the crimes.
In addition to the 25-year prison sentence, the court also imposed a fine of ₹25,000. Failure to pay the fine will result in an additional year of imprisonment.
Furthermore, under POCSO section 12, the court sentenced the accused to two years of imprisonment and an additional fine of ₹2,000, with a one-month imprisonment penalty for failure to pay the fine.
The investigation into the case was conducted under the guidance of Senior Police Inspector Santosh Pandhare and Police Inspector (Crime) Nilesh Jagdale of Hadapsar Police Station.
Police Sub-Inspector Supriya Gavde served as the lead investigation officer, successfully bringing the case to trial. Court staff Avinash Gosavi and Sambhaji Mhangre played essential roles in ensuring the smooth proceedings of the case.