NEW DELHI: A city court on Wednesday took cognisance of the chargesheet against Women and Child Development Department (WCD) officer, Premoday Khakha and his wife Seema Rani, in relation to the rape of minor girl.
Khakha, who had allegedly raped the minor girl several times and impregnated her, and his wife Seema Rani, who allegedly gave contraceptive medicines to the girl to terminate her pregnancy, are currently in judicial custody.
Additional Sessions Judge (POCSO) Richa Parihar of Tis Hazari Court took cognisance of the chargesheet, noting there was prima facie sufficient material to proceed against the accused individuals. The court also directed the police to supply copies of the chargesheet to the accused while posting the matter for hearing on December 5. According to police, the minor had started living with her guardian Khakha, in Burari, after the death of her father on October 1, 2020.
The girl, now in Class XII, recently narrated the incident to a counsellor at a hospital where she was admitted following an anxiety attack. Khakha, who worked as a deputy director at the WCD of the Delhi government, also served as the OSD to Minister Kailash Gahlot, in addition to his work as Deputy Director. However, after Atishi took over the ministry, the officer was repatriated, as per records.
The couple were arrested after the victim recorded her statement before a magistrate at a hospital. The police, based on her complaint, had registered a case under relevant sections of IPC and the POCSO Act on August 13, however, arrested the officer after nine days.
A case has been registered under provisions of the POCSO Act and Indian Penal Code sections 376(2)(f) (being a relative, guardian or teacher of, or a person in a position of trust or authority towards the woman, commits rape on such woman) and 509 (word, gesture or act intended to outrage the modesty of a woman), as per police. IPC sections 506 (criminal intimidation), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 313 (causing miscarriage without woman’s consent) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) have also been invoked in the case, the cops said.