Bombay high court upholds 7 years RI for raping minor sister-in-law

The Bombay high court has upheld the conviction of a 36-year-old Goregaon resident for raping his sister-in-law, a minor, several times between 2009 and 2010.

Tejendra Ahire had been sentenced to seven years rigorous imprisonment by the Dindoshi sessions court in 2011. Last week, high court judge SS Jadhav confirmed the sessions verdict.

"Implicit reliance can be placed upon the sterling testimony of the victim, who is a young girl and has to suffer the trauma of rape throughout her life. The injury caused to her is not just a physical one, it is an injury to the very soul of womanhood. Therefore, the conviction recorded against the accused does not call for interference," said the court.

As per the prosecution's case, Ahire had married the victim's elder sister. After the marriage he raped the girl several times. He even threatened her that if she told anyone about this he would divorce her sister.

But the girl summoned enough courage and told her younger brother about what was happening and the boy lodged a complaint with the Charkop police.

Based on the girl's testimony, the prosecution examined four witnesses during the trial. Ahire was convicted in 2011 and he challenged the order in the high court.

Ahire denied all charges and claimed he was being framed. The defence argued that the girl's brother had falsely implicated Ahire and that there were discrepancies in the girl's testimony.

The prosecution argued that the conviction could be based solely on the girl's testimony and that there was no reason to falsely implicate the man.