Sambalpur: A special Pocso court in Sambalpur sentenced a man to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment on Thursday for raping a 14-year-old girl in 2020. The accused was a 17-year-old juvenile at the time of the offence.The court of additional sessions judge Abhilash Senapati also imposed a fine of Rs 50,000, failure to pay which will incur an additional year of imprisonment. The court also directed the District Legal Services Authority to pay a compensation of Rs 15 lakh to the survivor.According to prosecution, the accused had established physical relations with the minor on a false promise of marriage. The girl became pregnant and gave birth to a girl.Following a complaint lodged by her father, police registered a case under relevant sections of IPC and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act and arrested the accused.During investigation, DNA testing confirmed that the accused was the biological father of the child, which, police said, played a crucial role in securing the conviction.
