Anugola: A POCSO Court in Anugola on Wednesday sentenced a temple priest to Life Imprisonment after convicting him of raping a 15-year-old Scheduled Caste girl in Anugola district in 2024.
The judgment was delivered by Additional District and Sessions Judge Biranchi Narayan Mishra, who observed that the accused had committed a grave and immoral offence by sexually assaulting a minor under the guise of performing religious duties inside a temple. The court held that such an act warranted no leniency.
The court has also ordered that the victim be provided with immediate compensation of ₹5 lakh.
According to the prosecution, the convict, Dukhanashan Bisi (24), a resident of Kelgaon under Subalaya police station limits in Subarnapur district, was serving as a priest at a temple in the Thakurgarh police station area of Anugola district. On August 26, 2024, he allegedly raped the 15-year-old girl near the temple premises.
Following the registration of a complaint, police arrested the accused and launched an investigation. The case was subsequently tried before the POCSO Court.
While pronouncing the verdict, the court remarked that the convict had betrayed the trust associated with his role as a priest and had committed a brutal crime against a helpless minor, making him undeserving of any sympathetic consideration.
Special Public Prosecutor Ranjan Kumar Patra represented the State.
