UP Doctor gets life in jail for rape, abetment of nurse's suicide

Mathura: After 4 years, a sessions court in Mathura has sentenced a doctor to life imprisonment and a Rs 50,000 fine for raping a nurse at a private nursing home. He was also awarded 10 years of rigorous imprisonment and a Rs 30,000 fine for abetment to suicide, after the victim died by suicide, following the assault. 

Additional District Judge (Fast Track Court) Sushil Kumar passed the verdict after the convict was found guilty of rape and abetment to suicide. As per PTI report, the nurse died by suicide the next day after she was raped, by jumping into the Yamuna River. Her body was later found floating near Ahilyaganj on the riverbank.

Her suicide note played a crucial role in the registration of the case. In her suicide note, the deceased blamed both her estranged husband, who had abandoned her, and the doctor, who had sexually assaulted her. 

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As per the HT news report, the doctor's fine will be given to the deceased minor son. Half of the fine amount will be deposited in an account opened in the victim’s minor son's name, which he will be able to access upon reaching legal adulthood. 

Judge Sushil Kumar held that the accused raped the victim at his hospital, taking advantage of her isolation. The act left her dejected and mentally shattered, leading her to take her own life.

The case pertains to Vrindavan here, where the woman's father, Omvir, lodged an FIR against the doctor on May 6, 2021. The complainant alleged that on May 1, 2021, the doctor an operator of Mahi Nursing Home on Sadabad road in the Raya area, raped his daughter who worked as a nurse at the facility. Her daughter allegedly killed herself the following day by jumping into the Yamuna River.

The complainant also stated that his daughter was married in Mathura, and when her marital relationship had turned sour, she returned to her father’s home with her child and joined the private nursing home run by the accused to support herself and her child.

According to the prosecution, the doctor exploited her vulnerability and raped her. Following a complaint by the family, a case was registered under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 376 (punishment for rape) and 306 (abetment of suicide). The police arrested the doctor based on the woman's suicide note, and a charge sheet was filed on September 3, 2021.

However, when the court was hearing the matter recently, the accused denied the charges, and his counsel argued that the victim had been troubled by a marital dispute and ended her life due to frustration.

Dismissing the arguments represented by the counsel, the court sentenced the doctor to life imprisonment and a Rs 50,000 fine for the assault, and 10 years of rigorous imprisonment along with a Rs 30,000 fine for abetment to suicide. The judge added that failure to pay the fines would result in an additional three months of imprisonment.

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