Phulbani: A special court on Wednesday sentenced a man to rigorous imprisonment (RI) for 20 years for raping a minor girl in Odisha’s Kandhamal district four years ago.
The ADJ-cum-POCSO court judge also imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 on the convict, identified as Dushasan Pradhan (43).
The convict will have to undergo imprisonment for an additional period of one year in case he fails to pay the fine amount, the court ordered.
As per case record, Pradhan had raped the girl at a village under Phiringia police limits of Kandhamal. The rape survivor was alone at her house when he committed the crime on February 5, 2019 taking advantage of the situation.
Later, Pradhan repeatedly raped the minor girl by threatening her with dire consequences. As a result, the girl had become pregnant and her father subsequently lodged a complaint at Phiringia police station. Based on the complaint, police launched a probe and arrested Pradhan.
The court also directed the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA) in Kandhamal to pay compensation of Rs 11 lakh to the rape survivor.
