Haryana: Four minors get 20-yr jail in 2023 Sonepat gang-rape case
Fifth accused’s sentencing delayed as court verifies his age documents; verdict to be pronounced on April 21
An additional district and sessions court in Sonepat on Saturday sentenced four minor boys to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment each in connection with the gang rape of a 17-year-old girl in 2023. The court deferred the verdict on the fifth accused due to pending verification of his age at the time of the crime.
Additional district and sessions judge (fast-track special court) Narender pronounced the verdict, convicting the four juveniles under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. Each convict was also fined ₹56,000.
The fifth accused’s sentencing was postponed to April 21 (Monday) as the court sought to verify documents confirming whether he was a minor when the crime occurred. The victim’s counsel argued that he was an adult at the time of the incident.
The case dates back to March 31, 2023, when one of the accused, a classmate of the victim, lured her to a friend’s house under the pretext of providing study material.
On April 2, 2023, the victim’s mother filed an FIR at Kharkhoda police station in Sonepat.
“My daughter was gang-raped and molested by the accused. They recorded the video of the incident on their phones and later blackmailed my daughter, threatening to leak the video unless she paid them ₹40,000,” the victim’s mother said in the FIR. The accused also warned the girl against reporting the incident.
Following the compliant, the police booked all five accused under IPC Sections 376D (gang rape), 385 (extortion), and 506 (criminal intimidation), along with POCSO Act Sections 6 (aggravated penetrative sexual assault) and 18 (attempt to commit an offence).
