High Court Upholds Life Term for Man Accused of Raping Daughter

The Bombay High Court upheld the life sentence of a man accused of raping his minor daughter. The father's plea claimed the accusation stemmed from parental discipline, but the court dismissed this as far-fetched. The daughter's accusation was first reported in a school outreach program.

The Bombay High Court has firmly rejected a father's claim that his minor daughter's rape accusation was an act of anger over his parental discipline. On Monday, the court upheld the man's life sentence, originally handed down by a special Pocso court in a 2020 judgment.

The father's defense alleged his daughter accused him out of resentment after he forced her to stop her studies. However, Justices Manish Pitale and Shreeram Shirsat called the theory 'too far-fetched', emphasizing that a child's anger, even over disciplinary actions, cannot justify making such severe allegations.

The minor, who first reported the abuse during a 'Police Didi' outreach program at her school in Mumbai in 2018, accused her father of years of sexual abuse. Despite informing her mother, no action was initially taken. The man was arrested, tried, and convicted under the Indian Penal Code and Pocso Act, with the High Court affirming the conviction by stating the victim's testimony was 'steadfast and sterling'.

(With inputs from agencies.)