Sopore: A court in Jammu and Kashmir has awarded a jail term of 14 years to a fake ‘faith healer’ who was found guilty of committing unnatural offences with children, officials said today.
The verdict came after a nine-year-long trial, following the registration of an FIR in 2016 under Section 377 of the erstwhile Ranbir Penal Code (RPC) at Police Station Bomai.
The victim’s father had alleged in his complaint that his son had been subjected to “unnatural sexual assault” by the accused.
Given the sensitivity of the matter the then Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Sopore had constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) under the supervision of Ashish Mishra, who is now serving as Superintendent of Police (SP), to investigate the matter.
On Monday the CJM Sopore convicted Sheikh for offences against two victims, referred to as PW3 and PW8. He was sentenced to seven years of rigorous imprisonment for each offence, with both sentences running consecutively, amounting to a total of 14 years.
“Additionally, a fine of Rs 50,000 was imposed for each offence, and in case of non-payment, he will serve an additional six months of simple imprisonment for each default,” advocate Ayesha Zahgeer, who assisted the Public Prosecutor in the case said.
She said that the court also directed that out of the fine amount, Rs 5,000 for each victim would be deposited as a fine, while Rs 45,000 each would be paid as compensation to the victims. However, the court clarified that this compensation does not prevent the victims from pursuing further civil or other remedies granted the convicted individual.
Earlier on Monday, the court had directed the Superintendent of Police Sopore, to immediately facilitate the registration of separate FIRs concerning other victims, ensuring that each victim’s claims be adjudicated separately.
Additionally, the court had requested the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA) to provide immediate legal aid to these victims to safeguard their access to justice.
“A compliance report must be filed within 90 days, detailing the steps taken for separate FIR registrations and investigations,” the court had said—(KNO)
