Keonjhar: A local court on Monday sentenced a 30-year-old man to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment for raping a 15-year-old differently-abled girl in 2023.
Fast-track court judge Vijay Kumar Mishra also imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 on the convict. The court ordered an additional six months of RI if the convict fails to pay the fine.
On May 12, 2023, the man raped the minor girl when she was alone at her residence. The perpetrator fled the scene when the girl’s father arrived. After learning about her ordeal, the father filed a police complaint the following morning.
Based on the complaint, the accused was arrested and charged under Section 6 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act.
The court found the man guilty based on statements from 18 witnesses and the police investigation report.
Special public prosecutor Gyanendra Nath Jena said, “The court directed the district legal services authority to provide a compensation of Rs 5 lakh to the girl.”