BARGARH: The additional district magistrate and special POCSO Judge in Bargarh on Monday sentenced a man to life imprisonment for raping his minor daughter more than five years ago. The horrific incident had taken place under Town police limits in the district.
Along with life imprisonment, the court imposed a fine of Rs 20,000 on the convict Ganesh Seth (48) under sections 376 (AB), 376 (2)(n) and section 6 of the POCSO Act. Ganesh was also sentenced to one year of rigorous imprisonment (RI) along with a fine of Rs 1,000 under section 323. Besides, he will undergo three years of RI and pay Rs 4,000 fine under section 506. All the sentences will run concurrently.
The case was registered on February 22, 2020 when the survivor was 12 years old. After the death of her mother, the girl along with her brother, who was eight-year-old back then, lived with their father Ganesh. The convict, who had remarried, raped his daughter on one occasion in 2019. Thereafter, he continued to rape the minor multiple times. Eventually, the girl narrated her ordeal to a woman staff in her school who in turn informed the authorities of Bargarh Childline.
After the incident came to light, Bargarh Town police filed charges against Ganesh after registering a case on February 22, 2020. Ganesh was booked under sections 323, 506, 376 (AB), 376 (2)(n) of the IPC besides section 6 of the POCSO Act. After completing the trial, the court found Ganesh guilty and pronounced its verdict.
Basing on the witness statements and corroborative evidence, additional district and sessions judge Kiran Kumar Pradhan sentenced Ganesh to life imprisonment. The court also directed the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA) to provide Rs 10 lakh compensation to the survivor for her rehabilitation and psychological support from the victim compensation fund.
Government advocate Dyutish Acharya, who handled the prosecution, termed it a rare case and said 18 witnesses, 22 documents including medical reports and material objects were examined during the trial.