DAV School Banjara Hills minor rape: Hyderabad court sentences driver to 20-yr imprisonment

HYDERABAD: A Hyderabad court on Tuesday sentenced Rajani Kumar, a driver of the DAV School in Banjara Hills, to 20 years of imprisonment for raping a four-year-old girl student of the institution.

The Nampally Fast-Track Court, which found Rajani Kumar guilty of the charge, decided the quantum of punishment on Tuesday, thus bringing the case, which sent shockwaves across Telangana and beyond, to a logical conclusion.

Rajani Kumar, a driver of the school’s then principal Madhavi Reddy, was charged with raping a four-year-old girl, a student of the school, on October 17, 2022. The heinous act came to light after the victim complained to her parents of severe pain in her private parts. A further medical examination revealed that the innocent minor girl was indeed raped, prompting her parents to lodge a complaint with the police.

Subsequent investigation revealed that Rajani Kumar, who was working as the driver of the school’s principal of that time, resorted to the sexual assault on the minor girl. As the incident rocked the reputation of the school besides evoking widespread outrage and condemnation, the police arrested Rajani Kumar and Principal Madhavi Reddy.

The case was registered against Rajani Kumar under sections 364, 376 (a) (b) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) besides the provisions of the stringent POCSO Act.