In a first-of-its-kind judgment in India, a 19-year-old boy has been sentenced to double life imprisonment by a Hyderabad court for sexual assault and murder of a 10-year-old boy. The boy was 17 years old when he was arrested in Telangana. He has been found guilty of aggravated sexual assault of a minor under the section 5 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act as well as murder under section 302 of the Indian Penal Code.
He has been sentenced to 27 years in jail - 10 years for sexual assault, 10 years for murder and seven years for destruction of evidence, IANS reported.
M Mahendra Reddy, the Director-General of Telangana Police, said that this is the first judgement of its kind in the country where a juvenile in conflict with law is sentenced to two life imprisonments.
The incident took place at Barkas area of old Hyderabad city on June 28, 2017, when the accused lured the minor boy under the pretext of playing and later took him to the terrace of a government school. The accused then forced himself on the minor and committed aggravated sexual assault. He also murdered the minor by hitting his head with an iron rod.
The accused also kept the body hidden for eight days. The police nabbed him on the basis of preliminary evidence. The police had also awarded Rs 20,000 to the police official who cracked the case.
As per the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, juveniles in conflict with the law in the age group of 16–18 can be tried as adults if they are involved in heinous offences. The law came into force in January 2016.
