An Additional District and Sessions Court (POCSO Special) in Kalaburagi has sentenced a 21-year-old man to 30-year imprisonment and imposed a fine of ₹36,000 on him for raping a minor girl.
As per the information provided by Shantaveer Tuppad, the Public Prosecutor in the case, Anil Karagar, a resident of Navanihal at Kamalapur taluk in Kalaburagi district, sexually assaulted a girl who was around 16 years and 10 months last year. The accused had, he added, forcibly taken the victim to his sister’s residence in Vijayapura district with a promise of marriage and later raped her multiple times despite resistance from the girl.
A case was registered at Kamalapur Police Station under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Circle Inspectors Chidananda Saudi and Narayana, investigated the case and filed a charge sheet confirming the crimes specified in the complaint.
After hearing both the prosecution and the defence and examining the evidence and witnesses, Judge Yamanappa Bammanagi held the accused guilty of crimes and pronounced the judgement on Friday.
He sentenced the accused to 30 years imprisonment and imposed a fine of ₹20,000 under Section 6 of the POCSO Act. The judge also held the accused guilty under IPC Section 363 (kidnapping) and sentenced him to a five-year jail term and imposed a fine of ₹6000.
The accused was also held guilty of crimes under IPC Sections 354 D (Stalking), 344 (Unlawful Confinement) and 506 (Criminal Intimidation), and POCSO Sections 8 (Sexual Assault by People in Positions of Trust or Authority) and 12 (Punishment for Sexually Harassing a Child). The total fine amount imposed on the accused under different sections was ₹36,000.
The court ordered the District Legal Services Authority to pay a compensation of ₹5,00,000 within a month from the pronouncement of the judgment.
