Justice Served in Odisha: Life Sentence for Brutal Crime

An Odisha POCSO court sentenced two men to life imprisonment for the 2021 rape of a 13-year-old girl. Samaya Murmu and Matu Murmu, both 33, were fined Rs 50,000 each. The district legal services authority has been directed to compensate the survivor with Rs 6 lakh.

An Odisha POCSO court has decisively sentenced two men to life imprisonment for their involvement in the rape of a 13-year-old girl back in 2021. The verdict was delivered on Monday in Mayurbhanj district, with the court imposing a fine of Rs 50,000 on each convict, identified as Samaya Murmu and Matu Murmu, both aged 33, according to special public prosecutor Abhinna Kumar Pattnaik.

Further, the court ordered the district legal services authority to compensate the survivor with a financial aid of Rs 6 lakh. This judgment followed a thorough examination of the victim's testimony, statements from 22 witnesses, and medical evaluations, Pattnaik informed.

The crime was reported to have occurred on April 6, 2021, when the young girl was attacked by the two men while visiting an open field near her village for personal needs. Acting on the family's complaint, local police at the Udala Police station swiftly registered a case, leading to the arrest of both accused parties, authorities confirmed.

(With inputs from agencies.)