JAMMU, Oct. 24 -- In a landmark judgment that reaffirms the judiciary's resolve to protect the rights of children, the Court of Principal Sessions Judge, Shopian, Mehmood Ahmad Chowdhary, on Thursday convicted two men in a harrowing case of kidnapping and sexual assault of a 17-year-old minor girl. The verdict, delivered after a full-dress trial, awarded ten years of rigorous imprisonment to the main accused while the co-accused received five years of imprisonment for abetment.
The incident dates back to December 12, 2022, when the girl went missing after she had gone to purchase household items. Despite frantic searches, her family could not trace her. Investigations later revealed that Yawar Ahmad Sheikh, a resident of Khawajapora, had d...