Jammu, Sep 27 (IANS): A court in Jammu & Kashmir has handed down a seven-year jail sentence to a rape accused. The accused Surinder Singh, a resident of Kotli Jija, Udhampur, was facing trial for rape of a girl.

According to the police case, on December 7, 2011, the prosecutrix (name withheld) filed a written complaint in police station Rehmbal that the accused who had called her and when she met him, he outraged her modesty. He also threatened her not to disclose any one about their relations. The accused repeatedly raped her on promise of marriage. On the basis of the report, an FIR under section 376 RPC was registered and the accused was arrested after thorough investigation.

Later, a challan was presented in the court of Additional District and Sessions judge in Udhampur. After hearing additional public prosecutor for the state, and counsel for the accused and material on record, the court sentenced the accused to seven years' imprisonment.

The court observed that a woman's body is not a man's plaything and he cannot take advantage of it in order to satisfy his lust and desires by fooling a woman into consenting to sexual intercourse simply because he wants to indulge in it.

"Keeping in mind the aggravating and mitigating circumstances of this case, it is ordered that for the commission of offence under Section 376 of RPC, the convict shall undergo rigorous imprisonment for 7 years and a fine of Rs 5,000.