A fast-track special POCSO court in Bhubaneswar sentenced a man to 30 years of rigorous imprisonment for sexually assaulting a two-and-a-half-year-old girl in the Airfield police limits.
Judge Saroj Kumar Sahu delivered the verdict after examining 13 witnesses and 84 documents related to the case.
The convict, Kahna alias Santosh Khuntia, faced charges under multiple sections of the POCSO Act and IPC. The court imposed a fine of Rs 20,000 under Section 6 of the POCSO Act, with an additional six months of imprisonment if unpaid. It also sentenced him to seven years under Section 363 of the IPC with a Rs 3,000 fine, and one year each under Sections 323 and 342 for assault and wrongful confinement.
The court directed that all sentences run concurrently. It also ordered the Khordha District Legal Services Authority to provide ₹50 lakh compensation to the victim under the Odisha Victim Compensation Scheme and Section 357-A of the CrPC.
Public Prosecutor Rajeev Sasmal and Additional Prosecutor Balaram Deo represented the government. The incident occurred when the child was playing outside her home after returning from a nearby shop with her father. The accused lured her to his house, where the family later found her injured and unclothed.
