Two Get 20-Year Jail Term In Separate Rape Cases, Involving Minor Girls, In Odisha

Keonjhar/Sundargarh: Two man in Odisha’s Keonjhar and Sundargarh districts were convicted for rape and sentenced to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment each on Monday.

A local court in Keonjhar pronounced the jail term for a 30-year-old man for raping a 15-year-old differently-abled girl in 2023. Fast-track court judge Vijay Kumar Mishra also imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 on the convict.

In case of failure in repayment of the fine, he has to undergo additional six-month RI.

On May 12, 2023, the man raped the minor girl when she was alone at home and fled the scene as soon as her father arrived. After learning about her ordeal, the father filed a police complaint the following morning. Based on the complaint, the accused was arrested and charged under Section 6 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act.

In Sundargarh, a special court passed the verdict for rape of a 12-year-old girl in Rajgangpur area in 2018. He has been slapped with a fine of Rs 16,000 and will have to spend another seven months in jail if he fails to pay it.

The court also directed the District Legal Service Authority to pay Rs 7 lakh assistance to the victim.

The, Junas Kandulana, had abducted her while she was alone at home and then raped her. The victim managed to reach home and narrated her ordeal before her parents, who then lodged a complaint at Rajgangpur police station.