27-05-2025
Man gets 30-yr RI for raping minor girl
Kendrapada: Additional district-cum-special judge (Pocso), Jajpur, on Tuesday sentenced a 35-year-old man to 30 years of rigorous imprisonment for raping an 8-year-old girl in 2022.
Judge Abhijit Palei also imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 on the convict, with an additional six months of imprisonment if he fails to pay the fine. The court directed the Odisha State Legal Services Authority (OSLSA) to provide a compensation of Rs 5 lakh to the girl.
According to the prosecution, the girl was returning home from school on June 20, 2022, when the man, her neighbour, dragged her into his house and sexually assaulted her.
He threatened to kill her and harm her family if she revealed the crime to anyone.
The girl later confided in her parents, following which her father filed an FIR. Police investigation led to the arrest of the man, who was booked under Section 376 AB (rape of a woman under 12 years) of the IPC and Section 6 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act, 2012.
Special public prosecutor Rajiv Mohanty said the conviction was based on testimonies from 17 witnesses, including the girl, and medical reports.
