Youth gets 20-yr RI in POCSO court

Balasore: Special POCSO judge Ranjan Kumar Sutar Thursday convicted an accused involved in kidnapping and rape of a minor girl and awarded 20 years rigorous imprisonment (RI) along with Rs 5,000 penalty. In default of the fine the convict would further undergo another 2 years jail term, the judge ordered. The convict identified as Arun Kumar Barik of Manikpura village was arrested by Singla police in June, 2022 after a complaint was lodged by the parents of the victim alleging that their minor daughter was kidnapped and raped by him. Barik was tried under different sections of IPC including rape and kidnapping and POCSO Act. He was convicted under Section 6 of POCSO Act to undergo 20 years RI along with a penalty of Rs 5,000. The judge pronounced the verdict after examining as many as 15 witnesses and 14 exhibits. The court further directed that a sum of Rs 4 lakh compensation be paid to the victim through the district legal services authorities (DLSA)” Special Public Prosecutor Pranab Panda said.