Daijiworld Media Network – Udupi (JD/EP)
Udupi, Jun 27: The district additional and sessions fast track special POCSO court sentenced a 55-year -old man to 20 years imprisonment for raping a minor girl employed in a house who was staying in the farm house with her mother.
The sentence was pronounced by POCSO fast track court judge Justice Srinivas Suvarna against convict, Haveri resident Hanumantha (55) on Monday June 27.
The accused was employed in the farm house where the victim was staying with her mother. However, the accused was staying elsewhere. Hanumantha had raped the girl in January 2021 when the girl was alone in the house. The girl who informed about it later was admitted to Kundapur hospital.
The then Kundapur station SI Sadashiva Gavaroji registered a case on the basis of a complaint lodged by the girl’s mother. Kundapur circle inspector Gopikrishna K R had conducted detailed investigations and submitted a charge sheet to the court.
Out of 18 witnesses, 12 witnesses had testified in the court. The medical test reports and the statements by the girl and by the witnesses were in favour of the prosecution. The court has sentenced the accused to rigorous imprisonment of 20 years and Rs 25,000 fine for rape. The court has also sentenced the convict for 20 years rigorous imprisonment and Rs 20,000 fine for raping a minor girl. The accused has been ordered to undergo another year’s ordinary imprisonment if he fails to pay the fine.
The court has ordered that Rs 40,000 out of the fine should be paid to the girl and Rs five thousand to the government. The court has also directed the government to pay Rs five lac compensation to the victim.
POCSO court special government prosecutor U T Raghavendra argued the case for the prosecution.