NEW DELHI: Delhi high court has upheld a man’s 12-year jail term for raping a 10-year-old in 2017, saying the child’s testimony inspired confidence and was reliable, and the conviction could rest upon it alone. Justice Manoj Kumar Ohri passed the order on Sept 3 while dismissing an appeal filed by the convict, Tonny. “The settled position of law is that even if the victim is the sole witness to the incident, a conviction can be sustained if her testimony is found to be credible and reliable,” the judge said. According to the FIR, the convict worked at a wood workshop near the child’s school and lured her with food items, before repeatedly raping her inside his shop. He further threatened to “drown her in a drain or cut her like a piece of wood” if she disclosed the abuse. PTI
