KEONJHAR: In a significant judgment, the Additional District and Sessions Judge of Champua Pabitra Mohan Samal on Thursday sentenced two persons to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment (RI) on charges of gang-raping a tribal woman in February last year.
The convicts, Biswanath Gop and Deben Munda, were also asked to pay a penalty of `5,000 each. The penalty money will be paid to the victim as compensation.
According to the prosecution, both Gop and Munda had gang-raped the 35-year-old tribal woman, who was deserted by her husband, on February 24. She had taken shelter at Gop’s house. They had threatened her with dire consequences if she divulged the crime to anyone.
Public Prosecutor Madhusudan Pati said the judge awarded the punishment after examining 17 witnesses. “They were tried under Sections 376 (b), 457 and 506 of IPC. The two were sentenced to 20 years of RI for rape, three years jail term for trespassing and one year for intimidation and threatening to kill. The imprisonment will, however, go concurrently,” Pati said.