A POCSO court in Bundi convicted a man on Friday for raping a minor, even though he later married her after she reached adulthood.

The couple now has a one-year-old child. The court imposed a fine of ₹80,000 on the convict and ordered him to pay ₹4 lakh for the survivor's support during his imprisonment.

POCSO Court I of Bundi city sentenced Shetan Meena (24), a resident of Mal Ki Jhopndiyan in Lakheri police station, Bundi district, to 20 years in prison for kidnapping and raping a 17-year-old girl in June 2022, according to public prosecutor Rakesh Thakur.

The father of the minor survivor filed a missing person report at Lakheri police station on June 2, 2022, suspecting Shetan Meena to be the perpetrator. 

The police conducted a search operation and rescued the minor girl approximately a month later, subsequently arresting Shetan. He was later released on bail, according to the public prosecutor.

A year after the crime, in 2023, Shetan married the survivor in Gurugram once she reached adulthood. The couple now has a child.

However, the court considered the girl's under-aged status and found Shetan guilty of abduction and repeated rape under the relevant sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012.

The court sentenced Shetan to 20 years of imprisonment, imposed a fine of ₹80,000, and ordered him to pay ₹4 lakh to the survivor for her livelihood during his incarceration. 

During the trial, the statements of 12 witnesses were recorded, and 29 documents were presented to the court, Mr. Thakur noted.