Sambalpur: A Pocso court in Sambalpur on Tuesday sentenced a 33-year-old man to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment for raping a 16-year-old girl in 2021.The court also imposed a fine of Rs 50,000. In case he defaults, the convict will have to undergo an additional year of rigorous imprisonment, judge Abhilash Senapati ordered.
As per the prosecution, the girl had gone to bathe in a village pond on May 23, 2021. While she was returning home, the accused allegedly dragged her to an isolated place and raped her before fleeing the scene. After the girl revealed her ordeal to her family members, a police complaint was lodged. Police registered a case, arrested the man and he was sent to judicial custody. He was later released on bail. The court pronounced its verdict based on the statements of 33 witnesses and 16 documentary evidences. The court also directed the district legal services authority to provide Rs 10 lakh compensation to the survivor, public prosecutor Prasanna Kumar Sahu said.
