Odisha Pocso court awards life imprisonment to man for raping 12-year-old daughter
The court has also directed the Legal Services Authority to provide ₹10 lakh to the survivor for her rehabilitation and psychological support.
Bhubaneswar: A man in Odisha’s Bargarh district was sentenced to life imprisonment by a POCSO court for raping his 12-year-old daughter.
Additional district and sessions judge-cum-special POCSO judge of Bargarh, Kiran Kumar Pradhan, sentenced the 50-year-old accused to life imprisonment under Section 6 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, describing the crime as barbaric and a betrayal of parental responsibility.
The court has also directed the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA) to provide ₹10 lakh as compensation to the survivor for her rehabilitation and psychological support.
“The accused committed rape and aggravated penetrative sexual assault on his daughter, when she was below twelve years of age. After the death of mother of the victim, her father, who is the sole guide and weight of her world, committed the offence which ashamed the relationship as a whole,” the court said.
“The protector turned predator in this case. Keeping in mind the aggravating circumstances like the suffering of the victim, who is ravished by her own father the accused is sentenced to
undergo imprisonment for life, and to pay a fine of Rs.20,000 u/s.6 of POCSO Act and in default of payment of fine, he shall undergo Rigorous Imprisonment for 6 months,” it added.
In February 2020, the 12-year-old girl came to Bargarh town police station where she alleged that after the death of her mother, her father brought (a woman) and kept her in their house as his wife. She alleged that both of them used to assault her and her brother.
They did not even allow them to have meals on several occasions. She alleged that her father sexually assaulted her on several occasions, threatening that she would be killed in case she discloses the incident to anyone.
“Following the allegations, Town Police filed charges against the accused Ganesh after registering cases under relevant sections along with the POCSO Act. Later, charges were framed, and after hearing the matter, the accused was held guilty,” said D. Acharya, special public prosecutor.
The case against the co-accused, the stepmother of the girl, is yet to start, as she has turned fugitive.
