Shillong, October 30 : The High Court of Meghalaya has upheld the conviction and 24-year rigorous imprisonment of a man from South West Khasi Hills who sexually assaulted his 10-year-old stepdaughter in 2016. The court said he had “completely breached the relationship of trust” between him and the child.
A Division Bench of Chief Justice Revati Mohite Dere and Justice W. Diengdoh dismissed the man’s criminal appeal on Wednesday. He had challenged the May 6, 2021 judgment of the Special Judge (POCSO), South West Khasi Hills, Mawkyrwat, which convicted him under Sections 5(m), 5(n) and 6 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012.
According to the prosecution, the assault happened at the family’s home on a Sunday morning in September 2016. The child’s mother had gone out to collect money owed to her for work and left the girl at home with the accused. The child testified that he carried her to the bed and assaulted her. He gagged her with a cloth when she cried out and threatened to kill her if she told anyone. He then tied her hands behind her to a wooden pole in the house and left.
The mother returned around noon and found her daughter unconscious, with her hands tied and blood on her mouth and legs. After she regained consciousness, the girl told her mother what had happened. The child’s uncle lodged an FIR at Mawkyrwat Police Station on September 6, 2016, and the accused was arrested. The child was first taken to Mawkyrwat CHC and then referred to Ganesh Das Hospital, Shillong. There, doctors examined her under sedation because she was in too much pain to be examined otherwise. They found injuries consistent with sexual assault. She stayed in hospital until September 15.
The Bench found the survivor’s evidence “reliable, trustworthy and credible.” It noted that the defence had not challenged her account of the assault in cross-examination. In the limited questioning she faced, she reaffirmed what she had told the court. The court held that her testimony alone was enough to convict. It added that her account was corroborated by her mother’s evidence and by two doctors, the Senior Medical and Health Officer and the gynaecologist who examined her. The judges also relied on a confession the accused made before a Judicial Magistrate First Class under Section 164 of the CrPC. They noted that he had not denied making it.
Earlier, at the defence’s request, the High Court had sent the matter back on June 30, 2026, so the defence could cross-examine the medical officer, who had not been questioned at trial. After reviewing that cross-examination, the Bench found nothing in it to doubt the doctor’s testimony. The defence, represented by Legal Aid Counsel P. Yobin, had argued that the prosecution failed to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt. Additional Public Prosecutor S. Sengupta supported the conviction.
The trial court had recommended ₹3 lakh in compensation to the survivor from the Meghalaya State Legal Services Authority for her rehabilitation and mental health treatment. The High Court directed the Secretary of the District Legal Services Authority, South West Khasi Hills, to report within six weeks whether the money has been paid. The matter will be listed on December 21, 2026, to record compliance.
