In the quiet courtroom of Anantnag, a 15-year-old girl’s trembling voice echoed a question that pierced through the silence: “Would any father do this?”
That question, spoken through tears as she faced the man who was once her protector, became the moral anchor of a judgment that shook the conscience of the court — and perhaps, society itself.
The Sessions Court in Anantnag, presided over by Judge Tahir Khurshid Raina, sentenced a man to life imprisonment for raping and impregnating his minor daughter. Calling the act “a symbol of extreme depravity, mental sickness, and complete collapse of ethical values,” the court said the case represented a terrifying erosion of trust within the most sacred bond — that of a father and his child.
The judge, visibly moved by the survivor’s testimony, described her question not as a moment of despair alone, but as a challenge to the collective conscience of a society that often fails to shield its daughters even within their own homes.
“Are our daughters truly safe where they should feel safest?” the court mused, noting the bitter irony that another ongoing case before the same bench involved a grandfather accused of repeatedly assaulting his granddaughter.
The incident took place on January 25, 2022. A case was registered at the Women’s Police Station, Anantnag, under Sections 376(3) and 506 of the Indian Penal Code, and Section 6 of the POCSO Act. After a full trial, the court found the accused guilty of all charges.
Judge Raina’s words carried the weight of both outrage and sorrow: “By no stretch of imagination can it be expected that a man can turn into such a beast… This conviction casts a death shadow over the most beautiful of human relationships — between a father and daughter.”
The court imposed a life sentence and fines of ₹1 lakh each under the IPC and POCSO provisions, along with ten years of rigorous imprisonment and a ₹10,000 fine for criminal intimidation. All fines, the court ordered, must go directly to the survivor.
Recognizing the lasting trauma inflicted on the child, the court directed that at least ₹10 lakh be granted as compensation under the Victim Compensation Scheme, to be finalized by the District Legal Services Authority within 30 days. The amount will remain in a fixed deposit, managed under the Child Welfare Committee’s supervision, accessible only for the survivor’s education, medical, and psychological care.
The verdict, heavy with moral reckoning, closed with a reminder that punishment alone cannot heal such wounds — but perhaps, it can keep society from forgetting what betrayal truly looks like when it wears the face of a father.