Mumbai News: Man Gets Minimum Sentence For Rape After Offering Lift; Court Cites Scope For Reform

A sessions court has convicted a Dahisar resident for raping and assaulting a woman, who asked for a lift at around 2.30am in the night in January 2018. Pradeep Tiwari, 38, was arrested on February 23, 2018 and had remained in prison till the verdict was out recently. He has been sentenced to eight years imprisonment.

As per the prosecution, on January 10, 2018, the woman, who suffered from schizophrenia, had gone to Vasai with an auto driver for some work. However, she couldn't return the same day as the job was not finished. The duo rented a room and stayed there till January 11, however, the driver left in the early hours of January 12 following a quarrel, said the prosecution.

As the woman didn't have money, she sought a lift from another auto driver, who dropped her near Dahisar check naka from where the accused, who was on a bike, happened to pass by. He agreed to drop her at the Dahisar station, but took her to a dilapidated building where he assaulted and raped the woman, alleged the prosecution. The accused later dropped her at the station and the woman narrated her ordeal to her mother after reaching home.

Additional session judge S J Ansari awarded the minimum sentence, observing, “The accused had indeed taken disadvantage of a woman who sought help, however, he is also reported to have a family. Thus, the man is not a person who cannot be reformed.” The court further noted, “The manner in which the offence was committed has also not been proved to be brutal to make the accused liable for the maximum punishment.”

Regarding the prosecution's argument that the fact that the woman suffered from schizophrenia be considered as an aggravating circumstance, the court said, “The evidence has proved that both of them were unknown to each other. Hence, the accused could not have been expected to know this fact.”