KALABURAGI: In an unusual Pocso Act case where a minor married girl was raped, Additional District and Sessions Court in Kalaburagi sentenced not only the rapist but the girl’s parents and her husband.
In a verdict delivered on Tuesday, Judge SL Chouhan sentenced the rapist, Nagappa Chadabanur, for 20 years in jail and imposed a Rs 50,000 fine.
The court also handed out one-year jail terms and Rs 10,000 fine each for the victim’s parents and her husband under the Child Marriage Prohibition Act. According to Special Public Prosecutor (POCSO) Shantaveera Tuppad, Chadabanur used to tease the victim. To ward off the accused’s threat, the parents of the minor girl conducted her marriage to another person. However, Chadabanur kidnapped the girl on September 5, 2024, and raped her. Later the accused dropped her at Wadi Railway Station saying he would come back with some money.
The girl returned to her village and told her parents about the sexual assault. The parents then registered a complaint at the Wadi Police Station. The court has asked the Legal Services Authority to pay Rs 5 lakh to the victim.