A special Pocso (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) court in Gujarat’s Anand has sentenced a teacher to 25 years in prison for repeatedly raping a minor student, threatening to fail her in exams and harm her family if she revealed the abuse.

The court also imposed a fine of Rs 11,000 and ordered Rs 4 lakh in compensation for the victim.

Darshan Suthar, a resident of Bakrol in Gujarat’s Anand, was employed as a teacher at a school in Vidyanagar in 2022. During this time, he exploited a 14-year-old student by promising her higher internal marks in the 10th grade computer board exam.

Suthar threatened the student, claiming that he would personally check her exam paper and fail her if she did not comply with his demands. Between March 20, 2022, and May 28, 2022, Suthar raped the student five times at different locations, repeatedly warning her that he would kill her and her family if she told anyone about the assaults.

The crime came to light when the victim’s mother became suspicious and filed a complaint at the Vidyanagar police station. Based on this complaint, the police arrested Suthar under the Pocso Act and other relevant sections.

During the trial, government prosecutor AS Jadeja presented strong arguments, leading Special Pocso Judge and Additional Sessions Judge Tejas Desai to convict Suthar. The judge sentenced him to 25 years of rigorous imprisonment and added another sentence if the fine was not paid. The court also directed that under Rule 9(2) of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses (POCSO) Rules, 2020, the victim should receive Rs 4 lakh as compensation.