Mizoram: 70-year-old man sentenced to 10 years for sexually abusing granddaughter

Aizawl: A fast-track court in Mizoram's Kolasib district near the Assam border on Thursday sentenced a 70-year-old man to 10 years’ imprisonment for sexually molesting his 10-year-old granddaughter, court officials said.

The judge of the fast track court, R. Vanlalena, had earlier on Tuesday convicted the man, a resident of Vairengte near the Assam border, under the provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, they said.

The sentence was announced on Thursday.

The court also imposed a fine of Rs. 5,000 on the convict, and in case of default, he will undergo an additional one month of imprisonment, officials said.

The crime came to light on 15 June 2021, when the victim's mother filed a complaint with Vairengte police, alleging that her 10-year-old daughter had been repeatedly sexually abused by her grandfather between 2017 and 2018.

Subsequently, the police launched an investigation and arrested the accused, who was released on bail after a few days due to his old age.

Medical reports confirmed that the girl was sexually abused. A chargesheet was submitted to the fast-track court on 29 September 2022.

During the prosecution, the court examined statements of the victim, the case-in-charge officer, medical officers, and other witnesses.