Man sentenced to 20 years for raping minor in Cuttack district

Cuttack: A special Pocso court here on Friday sentenced a 24-year-old man to rigorous imprisonment for 20 years for raping a 16-year-old girl in 2021. The trial of a co-accused in the case is still on, said special public prosecutor Ramesh Chandra Mohanty.Presiding judge Himansu Sekhar Singh also imposed a fine of Rs 20,000 on the convict. He also directed to provide a compensation of Rs 5 lakh to the survivor, who was minor at the time. “The prosecution is found to have established beyond reasonable doubt that the accused had committed gang rape....There is sufficient evidence to indicate that both the present accused and co-accused had acted in concert and rape had been committed,” the judge ruled.The crime took place on June 5, 2021, in Cuttack district and was reported at a police station by the survivor on Sept 10, 2021. The FIR was registered on the same day and the convict, who was arrested the next day, has since been an undertrial prisoner.“There is no scope for awarding sentence lesser than the prescribed minimum,” the judge said, citing the Supreme Court which had ruled that “leniency in matters involving sexual offence is not only undesirable but also against public interest and such type of offences are to be dealt with severely and with iron hands...”