Ex-Army major, wife get 10-year jail for torturing child

New Delhi: A Delhi court on Saturday sentenced a retired Army Major and his wife to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment after holding them guilty of torturing their child. The verdict has come after a seven years court battle.

The lawyer of the victim said, "Both the parents have been given a sentence of imprisonment for 10 years under Section 307 of the IPC."

However, the child's grandparents, who fought a lonely battle to ensure justice for him, say the punishment is not enough. They want to appeal in a higher court.

The child\'s grandparents, who fought a lonely battle to ensure justice for him, say the punishment is not enough.

The grandmother said, "We will appeal in the higher court and demand life imprisonment for them."

The grandparents had approached the High Court for custody of the child in 2005. A police probe later revealed the boy had been tortured since the age of three after his mother died.

Recalling the trauma, the child said, "They would put a stick into my mouth if I cried out, it broke my teeth, hurt my gums. I bled a lot."

The convicted parents insist the child had congenital deformities and plan to challenge the verdict.

"We will certainly appeal in the High Court after going through the order," said defence lawyer Balwan Singh.

After seven years of legal battle, the father and the stepmother have been sentenced to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment. This probably is a small win for the child, who is suffering from battered baby syndrome and is now scarred for life.

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