Man jailed for 7 yrs for raping, marrying and torturing cousin

New Delhi, Jun 23 (PTI)

A Delhi court has sentenced a man to seven years imprisonment for raping his cousin for over 12 years and torturing her after forcing her to marry him.

"Whatever the extent of the prohibition, incest is universally condemned and viewed with horror. The existing social, cultural and the law prohibits such a relationship and hence the question of consent in any incestuous relationship, if any, would not arise in cases of incest," Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) Kamini Lau said, while jailing Tri Nagar resident Inderpreet Singh.

The court also imposed a fine of Rs 1.05 lakh on Singh stipulating that the same should be given to the victim.

The victim told the court that she was compelled to marry him in March 2008 after she became pregnant. After the marriage, her husband began physically assaulting and subjecting her to mental cruelty, she added.

"The victim of incestuous rape lacks self-confidence and is always under a sense of guilt and denial. Child sexual abuse is a rape of the mind and thought processes. The convict (Singh) before this court being the first cousin of the victim was in a position of trust and he exploited the family relationship," the court said.

Observing that the man being the son of the victim's uncle, the court said, "Where the elder cousin brother is the perpetrator of abuse on his cousin sister, he should not only be arrested but also punished sternly for offence of rape."

She alleged that Singh had been raping her since 1996 when she was just 15.

As per prosecution, Singh, 37, and the victim were living in a joint family and he used to teach her when she was preparing for her class 10th board exams.

http://www.deccanherald.com/content/171020/man-jailed-7-yrs-raping.html