Odisha court sentences 23-year-old man to 20 years RI for raping girl

Special POCSO court judge Pratima Patra held 23-year-old Balaram Munda guilty of the crime and also imposed a penalty of Rs 50,000 on him, Special Public Prosecutor Abhinna Kumar Pattnaik said.He said the court also directed Mayurbhanj District Legal Services Authority to pay Rs 7 lakh to the survivor as compensation.According to prosecution, the incident took place on November 23, 2021, when the girl was returning home after shopping.

A special POCSO court in Odisha's Mayurbhanj district on Friday sentenced a man to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment for raping a 12-year-old girl four years ago. Special POCSO court judge Pratima Patra held 23-year-old Balaram Munda guilty of the crime and also imposed a penalty of Rs 50,000 on him, Special Public Prosecutor Abhinna Kumar Pattnaik said.

He said the court also directed Mayurbhanj District Legal Services Authority to pay Rs 7 lakh to the survivor as compensation.

According to prosecution, the incident took place on November 23, 2021, when the girl was returning home after shopping. Munda forcibly abducted and raped her in a secluded area under Jamada police station limits.

Following the incident, the girl's father lodged a complaint at Jamda police station and a case was registered under Section 6(1) of POCSO Act, 376(AB),294 IPC and the accused was arrested.

The judgment was based on the statement of the girl, 17 witnesses and medical report, Pattnaik said.

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