Kohima: A Fast Track Special POCSO Court in Dimapur sentenced Gaurav Kumar Bhagat to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment on June 24. Bhagat assaulted his 14-year-old biological sister repeatedly starting in March 2023. They lived with their grandmother as orphans. The abuse left the girl pregnant.
She kept quiet for months. She only spoke up after stomach pains forced a visit to District Hospital Dimapur in October 2023. An ultrasound revealed the pregnancy. The girl initially blamed a stranger, fearing her brother. Police eventually found her and she named him. They filed an FIR on October 17, 2023. She gave birth that December, but the infant girl died two weeks later.
The defense team fought the conviction. They pointed to procedural gaps and missing medical tests. They argued the girl’s shifting story ruined the case. Judge Khesheli Chishi disagreed. The court used his Aadhaar card and medical records to confirm he was an adult during the crimes. The judge remarked, "Investigative errors cannot be a ground to give benefit to offenders when all other evidences point to the guilt of the accused."
DNA profiling proved the ultimate link. The test results confirmed Bhagat as the father. The court declared, "The paternity test seals the fate of the accused who has been declared as the biological father of the new born baby. There can be no other conclusion." The judge acquitted him on two other charges, including aggravated sexual assault. The District Legal Services Authority must now secure compensation for the victim.
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