Two men, accused of raping a 5-year-old girl in 2013 in Delhi, have been held guilty by Delhi’s Karkardooma court. The court will announce the quantum of punishment on January 30.
“In our society the minor girls are worshipped as goddess on certain occasions but in the present case the victim child had experienced exceptional depravity and extreme brutality.” the court said.
The court further said, “crime against the victim was committed in the most grotesque and revolting manner and the collective conscience of the community was shaken,” as it held the two accused — Manoj Shah and Pradeep Kumar — guilty.
The horrific incident took place in 2013 in the national capital just four months after Nirbhaya’s brutal rape case sparked protests across the country. The girl, who was later identified as Gudiya by section of media, went missing and police asked her parents to search for her themselves. She was found two days later in grieve condition. She sustained injuries inside her private parts. Manoj Shah and Pradeep Kumar were convicted of raping the girl. They repeatedly raped her and left her at the site after inserting candles and bottles inside her private parts.
Both accused were arrested by the Delhi police separately from Muzaffarpur and Darbhanga in Bihar respectively in 2013. The charge sheet was filed on May 24 that year but after more than five years, the court convicted both accused of rape. However, the quantum of punishment will be held on January 30.
“Though the trial should have been completed in two years, we are happy we got justice,” said the father of the girl.
