ITANAGAR, 14 Oct: A special POCSO court in Arunachal Pradesh has sentenced a 34-year-old man to imprisonment for the remainder of his natural life for raping his eight-year-old niece, observing that the crime was a grave betrayal of familial trust and did not warrant any leniency.

Special Judge (POCSO), Yupia, Dr. Hirendra Kashyap, pronounced the sentence on 13 October after convicting Komli Taba, a resident of Everest village in Lepa Rada district, on 8 October.

The court sentenced Taba to life imprisonment under Section 6 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and imposed a fine of Rs. 50,000.

According to the judgment, the incident occurred in November 2024 at the convict's residence in Nirjuli, where the child had stayed after returning from a picnic with her paternal aunt, who is Taba's wife.

Taking advantage of the child's trust, Taba lured her into a separate room on the pretext of dropping her home and sexually assaulted her.

The court found that he subsequently threatened to kill the child if she disclosed the incident and concealed her bloodstained clothes to destroy evidence.

The crime came to light after the victim's father noticed that she was bleeding and, following medical consultation, persuaded her to disclose what had happened.

An FIR was registered at the Itanagar Women Police Station on 18 November, 2024 and the case was assigned to sub-inspector D. Pakam for investigation. Taba, later surrendered before police on 21 November and was subsequently arrested.

During the trial, the prosecution examined eight witnesses, including the victim, her father, medical professionals and the investigating officer.

The prosecution led by special public prosecutor Kagam Bagra argued that the convict had exploited the trust placed in him by the child and her family, causing serious physical injuries and psychological trauma.

It sought stringent punishment, maintaining that the gravity of the offence and the convict's subsequent attempts to suppress evidence demonstrated a lack of remorse.

During the hearing on sentencing, the defence sought a lighter punishment, arguing that Taba was the only son of his elderly parents and had minor children to support.

However, the court rejected his claim of being the family's sole breadwinner, noting that his wife was a government employee and his parents were retired employees.

Observing that the convict had violated the trust placed in him as a close relative, the court said his actions had caused a serious dent in the humanity of society.

The judge held that the magnitude and severity of the crime did not justify leniency, although the case did not fall within the "rarest of rare" category warranting the death penalty.

The court also directed that the matter be referred to the District Legal Services Authority, Papum Pare, for payment of adequate compensation to the victim under the Arunachal Pradesh Victim Compensation Scheme, 2011.

Taba was informed of his right to appeal against the conviction and sentence before the Gauhati High Court.