Srinagar: A court in north Kashmir on Tuesday awarded 14 years of rigorous imprisonment to a faith healer who was convicted for repeatedly sexually abusing minors.
The Chief Judicial Magistrate Baramulla at Sopore Mir Wajahat on Monday had convicted Aijaz Ahmad Sheikh under Section 377 of the Ranbir Penal Code (RPC).
Today, both the defence counsel and lawyer for the accused proceeded with their arguments before Chief Judicial Magistrate.
“The CJM Sopore sentenced the accused to seven years of rigorous imprisonment each for two victims in this case. The sentences will run consecutively, meaning he will be in jail for 14 years,” the lawyer of the victim said.
She said the court also directed the convict to pay Rs 50,000 fine for each of the victims and Rs 45,000 for the two victims as compensation.
The CJM also said that the victims are at liberty to approach appropriate forums for their compensation in their capacity.
The case surfaced in 2016 when a complainant approached Bomai Sopore Police Station on March two, reporting that his son studying in class 10 had been repeatedly visiting Sheikh, who called himself a pir, but recently refused to go.
Upon questioning, the victim revealed that Sheikh had been engaging in unnatural acts with children, including himself.
An FIR under Section 377 RPC was registered, and a Special Investigation Team (SIT) was formed by the Superintendent of Police, Sopore to conduct a thorough probe into the allegations of sexual abuse against multiple victims.
The SIT, comprising senior investigators, child protection officers, and forensic experts, collected evidence, recorded witness statements under Sections 161 and 164-A J&K CrPC, and conducted forensic examinations.
Several victims later came forward, revealing a pattern of abuse from 2012 to 2016. The accused allegedly intimidated them with threats of divine punishment to ensure their silence.
Based on substantial evidence, including victim testimonies, forensic reports, and site inspections, a chargesheet was filed by J&K police on June 15, 2017.
The CJM court also identified multiple other victims whose testimonies supported a pattern of systematic abuse.
It also recommended separate FIRs for these cases to ensure procedural fairness.
“PW4, PW5, PW7, PW9, and PW11 have courageously recounted harrowing accounts of their suffering. Their testimonies remain unwaveringly consistent; however, this judgment refrains from extensive elaboration or deliberation, solely to uphold the sanctity of the impending investigation, which must proceed after the registration of separate FIRs for PW4, PW5, PW7, PW9, PW11, or PW12—who, though not examined, may also be a victim, alongside any other individual seeking their rightful justice against the accused.”, the court had remarked on Monday.
The court observed that justice should serve as a catalyst for other victims to come forward.
“If this judgment serves as a catalyst for those silent voices — who have long endured unspeakable trauma, struggled in the shadows of despair, and now look toward the law with the last vestiges of hope — then justice has, in some measure, already begun to prevail,” the court had observed.
