KARACHI: A sessions court has sentenced a man to 10-year imprisonment on charges of raping a differently-abled girl.

The court found Muhammad Adil guilty of subjecting his 20-year-old neighbour to a sexual assault in Rizvia Society in November 2019.

Additional District and Sessions Judge (central) Zabiha Khattak also imposed a fine of Rs25,000 on the convict and in case of default he would have to undergo an additional two months in prison.

The court in its verdict stated that all the prosecution witnesses, especially the victim, fully deposed against the accused and there was no material contradiction in their testimonies.

According to the DNA report, slide samples and clothes of the victim did not contain any male DNA, but the medico-legal officer clearly deposed that the girl was raped, it added.

“Nowadays, the above type of crime is at peak in society which creates havoc in the society especially girls keep in fear due to said act. The said type of crime should be dealt with iron hands,” the judge concluded.

According to the prosecution, a woman lodged an FIR stating that she was a widow and worked as domestic help. On the day of the incident, she was at work when the accused subjected her stepdaughter to a sexual assault.

Published in Dawn, April 2nd, 2023