Justice Served: 70-Year-Old Sentenced to 20 Years for Raping Minor in Odisha

Severe Punishment for a Heinous Crime

Kendrapara: In a significant ruling, a local court in Kendrapara district, Odisha, sentenced a 70-year-old man to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment for the rape of a nine-year-old girl last year.

The Additional District Judge, who also serves as the Special Judge for the case, imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 on the perpetrator, Batakrushna Sahoo.

Additionally, the sentence will automatically extend by one year due to the nature of the crime.

The court mandated that the Odisha State Legal Services Authority (OSLSA) provide Rs 6 lakh in compensation to the victim, as stated by prosecution counsel Manoj Kumar Sahu.

The young girl was a third-grade student at a local village school under the Pattamundai police jurisdiction.

Reports indicate that the accused had threatened the victim, warning her against disclosing the assault to her parents.

He was found guilty under sections 65 (Rape of a woman under sixteen years) and 331 (house-trespass or house-breaking) of the BNS, along with section 6 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012.

Judge Pragyan Paramita Roul delivered the verdict based on testimonies from seven witnesses, including the victim and the medico-legal report, according to prosecution counsel Manoj Kumar Sahu.