1. The appellant-accused is aggrieved by the judgment and order dated 09.10.2013 rendered by the Sessions Judge, Yavatmal in Sessions Case 136/2012, by and under which, the appellant-accused is convicted for offence punishable under Section 376 of the Indian Penal Code ('IPC' for short) and is sentenced to suffer rigorous imprisonment for seven years and to payment of fine of Rs.500/-.

2. Heard Shri Amit Band, the learned counsel for the appellant and Shri V.P. Maldhure, the learned Additional Public Prosecutor for the respondent-State.

3. The genesis of the prosecution lies in the oral report dated 17.07.2012 lodged by the prosecutrix (P.W.1) at Police Station Parwa, District Yavatmal. The gist of the report lodged by the prosecutrix, who was then aged 15 years, is that between 05:30 to 06:00 p.m. on the day of the incident she went to the grocery shop of one Rajesh Dabbawar to purchase cell for watch. The wife of the shop owner Smt. Kalpana informed the prosecutrix that watch cells were not available in the shop. The prosecutrix was returning to her residence uttering that the cells are not available and from which shop could she purchase the cell. The accused, who was si