- By Sahelee Rakshit
- Tue, 18 Mar 2025 06:33 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Darshan, a well-known dwarf comedian, was sentenced to 20 years in jail for raping an minor girl. The decision was handed on Monday by Additional District and Sessions Judge (ADJ) Sunil Jindal's court in Hisar. Haryana native Darshan was convicted on March 11 and has been detained by the police since.
The POCSO Act has sentenced him to 20 years in jail and a fine of Rs 1 lakh; Section 363 has sentenced him to three years in prison and a fee of Rs 5,000; Section 343 has sentenced him to one year in prison and a fine of Rs 1,000; and Section 506 has sentenced him to two years in prison and a fine of Rs 1,000.
The case began in September 2020 when a police complaint was submitted by the mother of a little girl from a community in the Agroha region. According to the complaint, Darshan, who is well-known on YouTube for his comical videos, enticed the girl by offering to include her in one of his videos.
Rekha Mittal, the victim's lawyer, claims that on September 21, 2020, Darshan called the girl and invited her to participate in a video shoot. Darshan urged the minor to travel to Chandigarh after the video shooting. The girl became afraid when he threatened her for refusing. Along with his brother, Darshan rode his bike to Chandigarh, where he reportedly raped her in a hotel room.
He also fabricated paperwork to make her appear to be an adult, and he coerced her into marriage with the help of an organisation. Additionally, a protection petition was submitted to the High Court.
Darshan was arrested when the child went home and told her mother about the experience. He was first given bail, but was remanded in detention after being found guilty.
In addition to the prison sentence and punishment, the court ordered Darshan to pay the victim Rs 2,00,000 as compensation.
