Kendujhar: A special POCSO court in Odisha’s Kendujhar district on Saturday sentenced a coaching centre owner to rigorous imprisonment for 20 years for sexually assaulting a seven-year-old girl student.
The court of Additional District Judge-cum-Special Judge (POCSO) Monali Samanti, who convicted Gautam Mohanty for sexually assaulting the minor, also imposed a fine of Rs 2,000. In default of payment, the convict will have to undergo an additional one year of imprisonment.
The court also directed that the child be paid compensation of Rs 10 lakh.
According to case record, the incident took place in August 2025 in Harichandanpur area of Kendujhar district, where the accused ran a coaching centre. The victim was a student at the institute.
The offence came to light after the child’s family learned about the incident. A village meeting was reportedly held during which the accused was questioned and allegedly admitted to the offence.
The family subsequently lodged a written complaint with Harichandanpur police, following which a case was registered and the accused was arrested.
During the trial, the prosecution examined 15 witnesses. After considering the oral testimony and documentary evidence placed before it, the court convicted the accused and pronounced the sentence.