Rape of School student, HC upholds 10-year sentence for 4 teachers

Chandigarh : Just over 16 years after her own teachers raped a Class X student, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has upheld the 10-year sentence awarded to them. Justice Jitendra Chauhan of the high court refused to place reliance on the “compromise” made under “duress” to uphold the sentence. A student of government high school at Madhopur, the victim was raped after she was enrolled for a sports meet, even though she was not into games. The accused teachers ---Balbir Singh, Amarjit Singh, Ranjit Singh and Mohan Lal Verma --- were booked on November 2, 1994. The victim had alleged the sister of an accused forced her into a room at her residence. The victim added she passed out soon after Ranjit Singh raped her. At the time of the incident, Balbir Singh, Amarjit Singh and Mohan Lal were present. Going into the background, the victim had alleged the accused compelled her to go to Fatehgarh Sahib for a sports meet, along with 15-16 other girls, on October 24, 1994. There, Balbir Singh threatened her and forced her to take a lift from Mohan Lal on a scooter. She was later made to sit on Ranjit Singh’s cycle. The accused asked her to accompany him to his sister’s house; and was pushed inside a room by Jasbir Kaur before bolting the door from outside. She has been let off by the High Court. Justice Chauhan ruled: “The appellant in the instant case are the teachers and the victim is their student…. The state of mind of prosecutrix can well be imagined, having been raped by her own teachers, who are otherwise in our social set-up put on a pedestal, which accords them an even higher status, respect and position than which is attached to one’s own parents. Justice Chauhan added: It is made out the victim comes from the poorest strata of society. The appellants are well placed and, therefore, the change in the statement of the victim and her mother was certainly made under duress, which is very evident and which subsequently resulted in some sort of a compromise between the parties. “I have no hesitation in recording the fact the alleged compromise is a manifestation of subjugation on account of unequal placement at social and economic pedestal. The testimony of prosecution was consistent till the time her father was alive”.