By IANS
Chennai : A fast-track court here sentenced a doctor to life term after finding him guilty of forcing women into commercial sex and act in pornographic films.
L. Prakash, who ran an orthopaedic hospital in Chennai’s Anna Nagar area, was arrested in 2001. The doctor and his three associates have been in jail for the last six years.
The court Wednesday found the four people guilty on various charges under the Indian Penal Code, the Information Technology Act, the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act and the Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act and the Arms Act.
However, Prakash was found not guilty of rape and attempt to murder.
The court Thursday awarded life sentence to Prakash under the provisions of Section 6 of the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act. He was given seven years in jail under Section 506 (2) of the IPC and a fine of Rs.5,000.
He was also awarded 10 years in jail under Section 367 of the IPC for abduction, with a fine of Rs.500 and a jail term of six more months if the fine was not paid.
He was awarded five years in jail under Section 67 of the Information Technology Act with a fine of Rs.100,000 and six months in jail if he did not pay the fine.
Under Section 4(6) of the Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act, he was ordered to be kept in jail for two years and to pay a fine of Rs.5,000 and an additional term of six months if he did not pay.
He was awarded seven years in jail under provisions of the Arms Act and Rs.5,000 fine and six more months in jail if he did not pay the fine.
Delivering her judgement, Judge Radha said awarding “the maximum sentence will be appropriate” as all the crimes were “not of ordinary nature”.
Three others found guilty in the case were awarded a sentence of seven years in prison each and were fined Rs 2,500 each.