CUTTACK: The Special Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) court, Cuttack on Monday sentenced a 58-year-old man to rigorous imprisonment for the remaining period of his life for kidnapping and raping two minor girls in 2020. The court also awarded a compensation of `3 lakh for each victim.
“Since the convict has made two small kids fall prey to gratify his sexual lust, exemplary punishment is required to be imposed on him to deter the other miscreant to get themselves involved in such kind of heinous offences. Punishment will be exemplary if maximum punishment prescribed for the offence is imposed,” the Presiding Judge Subash Kumar Behari observed, while also imposing a fine of `25,000 on Harish Chandra Barik.
The judge directed the secretary of the district legal services authority, Cuttack for complying with the order relating to the grant of compensation. The incident occurred under Sadar Cuttack police station limits on November 16, 2020. The trial judge convicted the accused by relying on 17 witnesses and 41 documents, including the medical examination report of the victims presented by the prosecution.
Special public prosecutor Ramesh Chandra Mohanty led the prosecution before the trial court. The trial in the case was taken up on the basis of an FIR lodged by the father of the victims (who were than 6 and 8 years old) with the Sadar Cuttack police station on November 16, 2020. Police arrested Harish two days later.