New Delhi: The CBI sought Tuesday life imprisonment ‘till remainder of life’ for Brajesh Thakur, convicted of sexually and physically assaulting several girls in a shelter home in Bihar’s Muzaffarpur district, before a Delhi court. The court said it will announce February 11 the quantum of sentence of 19 people held guilty in the case.
The probe agency said ‘rape is a crime of lust and power’ and leniency should not be shown to the convicts as the victims in the case were minors.
Additional Sessions Judge Saurabh Kulshreshtha reserved the order after hearing arguments of the prosecution and the convicts.
The court January 20 had convicted Brajesh Thakur, who once unsuccessfully contested Assembly polls on Bihar People’s Party (BPP) ticket, of several offences, including aggravated penetrative sexual assault under Section 6 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, and offences of rape under the Indian Penal code (IPC).
In its 1,546 page judgment, the court had also convicted Thakur of offences under Indian Penal Code sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 324 (causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) and those relating to abetment, Section 21 (failure to report commission of an offence) of the POCSO Act and Section 75 (cruelty to child) of the Juvenile Justice Act.
The offences entail a maximum punishment of life imprisonment.
Public Prosecutor Amit Jindal told the court that the five convicts – Thakur, Dillip Kumar Verma, Ravi Roshan, Vikas Kumar and Vijay Kumar Tiwari – who were convicted of the offences of aggravated penetrative sexual assault and rape should be sentenced to life imprisonment for remainder of life given the heinous nature of the crime they have committed.
“Rape is a crime of lust and power. They have a family of their own. Some of them have daughters and sons who are minors. The victims in the case were also minors. Any leniency will not be justice in this case. There was no compulsion from anywhere for them to be a part or commit the crime,” the counsel said.
Jindal further said the remaining convicts should be given maximum punishment for the offences they have committed.
Advocates PK Dubey and Nishaank Mattoo appearing for Thakur sought leniency on the ground that he is the sole bread earner of the family and suffering from various ailments.
“The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has already seized assets of Brajesh Thakur’s entire family. He (Thakur) has three children. His brother is bed-ridden. He is the sole bread earner of the family. We seek minimum punishment,” the lawyer said.
One of the female accused, Rosy Rani, former assistant director of child protection unit in Muzaffarpur, was convicted of offences under Section 21(1) (failure to report commission of an offence) of the POCSO Act. Since the maximum punishment for the offence was six months, which she had already undergone, she was granted bail by the court.
PTI
