AHMEDABAD: A Special POCSO Court in Vapi has sentenced a man to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment for repeatedly sexually assaulting a minor girl in Gujarat's Valsad district, with DNA evidence playing a key role in securing his conviction.
The case came to light in April 2025 in Dungra village near Vapi, where the accused, Ramesh Prajapati, allegedly exploited his proximity to the victim's family and repeatedly assaulted the girl. Both families were migrant labourers with limited access to legal and institutional support.
The crime surfaced after medical examinations revealed that the 14-year-old survivor was more than six months pregnant. Her mother subsequently approached Dungra Police Station on April 12, 2025, and lodged an FIR under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
The investigation was led by Ankita Mishra, a 2022-batch IPS officer who was then posted in Dungra and is currently serving as Assistant Superintendent of Police in Ahmedabad Rural.
“The victim was terrified, which was completely understandable. However, she showed extraordinary courage. Through patient counselling in the presence of her mother, we gradually built trust. Once she felt secure, she clearly identified the accused and later repeated her statement confidently before the magistrate,” Mishra said.
As the investigation progressed, police found that the survivor's family was unaware of the legal options available regarding the pregnancy, which had advanced beyond six months.
Understanding the risks to the girl's physical and mental health, police counselled the family and assisted them in approaching the Gujarat High Court.
“We realised that continuing the pregnancy could seriously endanger the survivor's physical and psychological well-being. We counselled the parents, explained the legal remedies available and helped them approach the Gujarat High Court without delay,” Mishra said.
The Gujarat High Court, presided over by Justice JC Doshi, ordered an immediate medical assessment by a board at GMERS Medical College and Civil Hospital, Valsad. The medical board concluded that continuation of the pregnancy would cause severe physical and psychological trauma to the minor.
Based on the findings, the High Court permitted termination of the 26-week pregnancy, observing that compelling a minor rape survivor to continue an involuntary pregnancy would amount to grave trauma.
The court also directed authorities to preserve fetal tissue samples for DNA examination, a move that later proved crucial to the prosecution's case.
Investigators subsequently relied on the survivor's consistent statements, medical evidence and forensic findings. DNA profiling established a direct match between the fetal tissue and the accused.
Armed with the survivor's testimony, medical records and DNA evidence, the prosecution presented its case before the Special POCSO Court.
On June 16, the court convicted Prajapati under Section 5(j-ii)(l) of the POCSO Act and sentenced him to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment. It also imposed a fine of Rs 10,000, with an additional one-year jail term in case of non-payment.
Invoking Section 33(8) of the POCSO Act and the Gujarat Victim Compensation Scheme, 2019, the court directed the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA), Valsad, to provide Rs 4 lakh in compensation to the survivor's family.
Police officials said the case demonstrated how coordinated action by investigators, medical authorities and the judiciary helped secure a conviction while ensuring support for the survivor.
According to official data, courts in Gujarat convicted 1,164 accused under the POCSO Act between 2023 and April 2026. Of these, 750 were sentenced to life imprisonment of 14 years or more, while 38 received the death penalty.
