Berhampur: The Pocso court at Phulbani in Kandhamal district Friday awarded life imprisonment to two persons for gang-raping a 12-year-old girl after abducting her from a village, three years ago. The judge, Rajesh Dash, also imposed a Rs 30,000 fine on each accused, Sukant Kanhar and Saroj Kanhar.
Each of the accused will undergo an additional 10 months in jail if he fails to pay the fine, said special prosecutor Asim Praharaj. The court declared the “life imprisonment means imprisonment for the remainder of the natural life of the convicts,” he added.
The court acquitted Maheswar Kanhar, another accused in the case, due to a lack of evidence. Another accused involved in the case, Sidhant Kanhar, is absconding since the incident on April 28, 2021, he said. The court also directed the district legal service authorities to pay Rs 10 lakh to the survivor as a compensatory amount, he said. The court pronounced the judgment after examining and recording the statements of 22 witnesses, including police, and verifying some relevant documents, he said.