Mumbai: A division bench of Justices Indrajit Mahanty and VK Jadhav has convicted a man acquitted in connecting with a rape case 21 years ago.
The court held Macchindra Sonawane guilty in a rape case of a 11-year minor girl in 1996 and sentenced his to seven years jail. The trial court had erred and acted in a “casual or cavalier” manner, in determining the victim’s age as that of being amajor, the HC bench said in its judgement.
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Ninteen year old Sonwane alleged raped the victim on December 1, 1996 when the victim had gone to his shop to buy medicines. A sessions court in Nashik had in July 1997 acquitted Sonwane after determining the victim is a major and not minor.