Jeypore: In a 2023 case under Kotpad police station limits involving the abduction and rape of a minor girl on the pretext of marriage, the Additional District and Sessions Judge-cum-POCSO Court in Jeypore on Friday convicted Bitya Pujari of Sadaranga village.
The court found the accused guilty based on the testimony of nine witnesses presented during the trial.
The court sentenced Pujari to five years of rigorous imprisonment along with a fine of ₹5,000 under Section 366 of the Indian Penal Code for abduction. In addition, under Sections 6 and 4(2) of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, the court awarded 20 years of rigorous imprisonment for each offence, along with a fine of ₹20,000 in each count.
The judgment further stipulated that failure to pay the fines would result in an additional 15 months of rigorous imprisonment.
The court also directed that the fine amount be paid to the victim and ordered the government to provide compensation of ₹4 lakh to the survivor through the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA).
The case was prosecuted by Special Government Advocate P. Sanyasi Rao.
