Rama Krishna Sangem
A Delhi’s Special POCSO court in a landmark judgement related to child marriage and rape case sentenced a 49-year-old accused to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment and awarded a compensation of Rs 10.5 lakh to a victim who was raped when she was 13-year old, there is an urgent call for resolution of pending 2.4 lakh cases under POCSO in the country recently.
Welcoming the conviction of the accused, which is rare in child marriage cases, Spandana Cultural Organisation for Progressive Education (SCOPE) in Sangareddy of Telangana along with its various partner NGOs under the aegis of Child Marriage Free India (CMFI) is making fervent appeal to courts to expedite the pending POCSO cases and ensure that justice is not delayed but delivered to child victims who have been waiting for verdicts against their perpetrators. CMFI is a nationwide campaign of 200 NGOs working in 400 districts to end child marriage by 2030.
Landmark judgment
Judge Ankit Mehta while pronouncing the verdict on June 7 Friday after examining all aspects of the case sentenced the accused to 10 years of jail in child marriage and rape case. Apart from the compensation of Rs 10.5 lakh, the court also imposed a fine of Rs 15000 on the accused. The 49-year-old accused, a resident of Bihar, was convicted under Section 376 (2) (i) and (n) of Indian Penal Code (IPC), Section 6 of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act 2012 and Section 9/10 of Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006.
“This is a landmark judgment in a child marriage case and will ensure that the fear of law is well established in the society. We are appealing courts across the country to expedite child marriage and rape cases and punish the perpetrators of this heinous crime. While we are working in tandem with state governments and authorities are leaving no stone unturned in generating awareness and counselling of the families at grassroots, when such judgments are passed against the culprit, the message becomes much stronger and effective,” said Dr. Bandi Sayanna, Chairman, Spandana Cultural Organisation for Progressive Education (SCOPE).
Other governments too should follow the verdict
Reacting to the Delhi Court’s verdict, lawyer, activist and Child Marriage Free India (CMFI) founder Bhuwan Ribhu said,” This is a landmark and welcome judgement, once again establishing that child marriage leads to child rape. I hope this acts as a precedent. By acting decisively against child marriage, we can end it by 2030. While the government aims to make India a developed country, it can only happen by ensuring access to free education till 18 years of age and eliminating child marriage.”
The ‘Child Marriage Free India’ campaign which is a nationwide campaign started in 2022 and has significantly expanded in terms of reach, impact, and partner network. From 161 NGO partners working in 17 states last year, the campaign is now reaching out to 22 states. This campaign is also working against child trafficking, and child sexual abuse, besides its focus on child marriage.
Many of these districts have also been identified as districts with a high prevalence of child marriages. The genesis of the campaign is the action plan as enumerated in child rights activist Bhuwan Ribhu’s bestseller ‘When Children Have Children: Tipping Point to End Child marriages”.
