World · South & Central Asia · 9 hrs ago
Thane court sentences man to 20 years for raping minor
A special court in Thane sentenced a 35-year-old man to 20 years in prison for repeatedly raping a minor girl.
The man, a painter who lived in the same housing society as the girl in Diva East, Maharashtra, was convicted under Indian criminal law and the POCSO Act.
The court found that he first assaulted her in November 2020 after promising to marry her, and that the abuse continued on several occasions.
The girl was under 18 during most of the period, so the court said her consent had no legal effect.
Her family went to the police in 2022 after the man reneged on his promise, and the court said the delay was understandable given the social stigma involved.
The court imposed the minimum 20-year term required by law and also fined him ₹5,000.
A special court in Maharashtra’s Thane district sentenced Shrinivas Ashok Yelgonda to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment for repeatedly raping a minor girl.
The court also imposed a fine of ₹5,000.
The prosecution said Yelgonda promised to marry the girl, who lived in the same housing society, and first sexually assaulted her in November 2020.
The court found that the girl was under 18 during the major part of the abuse and that her consent was legally immaterial.
The defence challenged the delay in registering the case and the lack of exact dates for the assaults.
- Who
- Shrinivas Ashok Yelgonda, a 35-year-old painter, was convicted. The survivor was a minor girl.
- What
- He was sentenced to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment for repeatedly raping the girl, and fined ₹5,000.
- When
- The abuse began in November 2020, according to the prosecution. The sentence was reported on November 8, 2026.
- Where
- Thane district, Maharashtra. The first assault took place in a neighbour’s vacant apartment in Diva East, according to the prosecution.
- Why
- The court found the girl was under 18 during the major part of the abuse, making her consent legally immaterial.
Prosecution
Defence
Case evidence
Prosecution
The survivor’s evidence and other prosecution evidence established the charges.
Defence
The defence pointed to an unexplained delay in registering the FIR in 2022 and the absence of exact dates for the recurring assaults.
Age and consent
Prosecution
The survivor’s birth certificate and school leaving certificate showed she was under 18 during the major part of the abuse, so her consent was legally immaterial.
Defence
Not stated.
The girl and Yelgonda became acquainted and later developed a romantic relationship through phone chats, according to the prosecution.
The prosecution said Yelgonda first sexually assaulted the girl in a neighbour’s vacant apartment after promising to marry her.
The abuse came to light after a dispute arose when Yelgonda reneged on his promise to marry her.
The Hindu reported that the court had sentenced Yelgonda to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment and fined him ₹5,000.
- Sentence
- 20 years of rigorous imprisonment
- Fine
- ₹5,000
- Accused
- Shrinivas Ashok Yelgonda, 35, a painter
- Court
- Special court in Thane district, Maharashtra
- First assault
- November 2020, in a neighbour’s vacant apartment in Diva East
- Published
- November 8, 2026
1 source
What people are saying
The evidence on record clearly establishes that the victim was under the bona fide impression that the accused would solemnise marriage with her, which led her to keep the relationship and the repeated physical intimacies concealed from her parents.
While the victim's minority under the age of 18 renders her consent legally ineffective and makes the conviction unavoidable, the romantic backdrop remains a vital and compelling mitigating factor in sentencing.