Baripada: The Additional District and Sessions Court-cum-Fast Track and Special POCSO Court here in Mayurbhanj district Saturday handed down life imprisonment to a youth after convicting him in the 2024-rape case of a minor.
Apart from the punishment, Judge Santosh Kumar Nayak also slapped a penalty of Rs 10,000 on the convict Asit Behera, a resident of Baisinga police limits.
In default, Behera has to undergo an additional six months of imprisonment, the judge observed while delivering the verdict, government advocate Manoranjan Pattnaik said.
The judge passed the order after examining the statements recorded by the witnesses, medical and police reports.
He also directed the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA) to pay financial assistance of Rs 2 lakh to the survivor, the government advocate said.
The incident occurred when the minor girl was returning home from a shop around 7 pm, November 4 last year.
Behera picked up the girl and took her to a deserted place, where he raped her after gagging her mouth and tying up her limbs.
Family members lodged a complaint at Baisinga after the survivor narrated her ordeal before them. Police registered a case and arrested Behera before producing him in the court.
Meanwhile, Keonjhar Fast Track Court Judge Bijay Kumar Mishra sentenced Dusa Daphnia (30) of Badagambharia village under Turumunga police station to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment along with a fine of Rs 1,000 for raping a 13-year-old girl.
The court ordered an additional year of rigorous imprisonment for non-payment of the fine amount.
PNN
