Odisha Court Sentences Accused to 10-Yr of Imprisonment for Raping Minor

A POCSO court in Odisha has sentenced a 45-year-old man to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment for the rape of a minor girl in 2014.

Mayurbhanj district POCSO court judge Sumita Jena convicted the accused, Lambu Soren, after considering the statements of the 13-year-old victim and the testimony of 12 witnesses, as well as medical reports, confirmed Special Public Prosecutor Abhinna Kumar Pattnaik.

The court also levied a fine of Rs 8,000 on Soren and directed the Mayurbhanj district legal services authority to provide compensation of Rs 4 lakh to the victim.

The incident occurred on August 9, 2014, when Soren abducted the minor from Sanmouda village and raped her in a nearby forest. The police registered a case under the provisions of the POCSO Act and the Indian Penal Code (IPC).