A court in Odisha’s Balasore district sentenced a 40-year-old man to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment for raping a 15-year-old girl last year.
The Special Judge of the POCSO Court in Balasore, Ranjan Kumar Sutar, also imposed a fine of Rs 5,000 on the convict. Failure to pay the fine will result in an additional two-year sentence.
According to the prosecution, the man raped the girl on December 1, 2023, when she went to relieve herself in the Simulia area. Following a police complaint lodged by the girl’s mother, the man was arrested and charged under multiple sections of the POCSO Act.
The court reached its verdict after examining 14 witnesses and reviewing 23 exhibits, stated Special Public Prosecutor Pranab Kumar Panda.
