Phulbani: A Special POCSO Court in Phulbani on Wednesday sentenced a 24-year-old man to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment for raping a 17-year-old girl in 2016.
The court also imposed a fine of ₹20,000 on the convict, Santa Kumar Pradhan, with an additional two-year jail term if he fails to pay the penalty.
The court delivered the verdict after examining 16 witnesses.
According to the prosecution, Pradhan, a resident of Daringbadi in Kandhamal district, had sought shelter at the victim’s house during a storm on July 18, 2016. Taking advantage of her being alone, he sexually assaulted her.
In a controversial decision, the village committee later pressured the victim into marrying Pradhan in 2021.
However, three years later, in 2024, Pradhan abandoned her on false pretexts. The survivor then filed an FIR at Phiringia police station, leading to his arrest and subsequent trial.
