Srinagar: A Sessions Court in Srinagar has convicted a father for attempting to rape his daughter and sentenced him to five years of rigo-rous imprisonment, besides imposing a fine on him.While announcing the sentence, the trial court observed that the shameful act committed by the convict on his helpless minor daughter had not only caused psychological and mental trauma to the victim, but had also shaken the conscience of society at large.The incident came to light when the victim lodged a report at the Rainawari police station in 2008, based on which a case was registered against the convict, Nazir Ahmad Sheikh.Subsequently, the culprit was arrested and a case was instituted before the court of the 2nd Additional Sessions Judge, Srinagar, on March 25, 2008, anda charge sheet filed on January 29, 2013.After a prolonged trial, the accused was convicted by the court on December 20, 2016, for the offence of attempt to rape, punishable under Section 511 of the Ranbir Penal code (RPC) read with Section 376 of the RPC.“In the present case, the offence committed by the convict was not merely a physical assault on the victim but it is restrictive of the whole personality of the victim because by his act, the convict has degraded the very soul of the prosecuterix (victim),” the 2nd Additional Sessions Judge, Srinagar, Shamlal Lalhal observed in his judgment made available today, while announcing the quantum of punishment.Sentencing the convict to five years of rigorous imprisonment, the court said that being a father, the accused was under a moral and legal obligation of looking after, upbringing, protecting and well-being of his daughter.The court also imposed a fine of Rs 5,000 on the convict, adding that in case of default, the convict shall undergo further rigorous imprisonment for two months in addition to the substantive sentence of five years.While arguing the case, the counsel for the accused had prayed for a lenient view and minimum sentence considering thatthe convict was about 60 years of age and had been languishing in jail for the past seven years.Not granting the plea, the court, in its judgment, observed that it was now a well-settled law that the punishment to be awarded to the convict should meet the gravity of the offence/s committed by the convict and should not give undue sympathy to the convict.However, the court said the period of imprisonment undergone by the convict in the judicial lockup shall be set off against the period of imprisonment awarded to the accused.The prosecution in the case was represented by advocate Mujeeb Andrabi, who had argued that the accused had committed a heinous offence by attempting to rape his daughter, which had caused her mental trauma and ruined her future. (TNS)