JHARSUGUDA: The additional district and sessions judge-cum-special POCSO court of Jharsuguda on Thursday convicted a 23-year-old man for sexually assaulting his four-year-old daughter and sentenced him to rigorous imprisonment for 20 years.
Special POCSO court judge Puja Sarangi found the accused, Diksan Singharia of Jharsuguda Sadar police station area, guilty under sections 64 (2) (f), 65 (2) and 115 (2) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 along with section 4 of the POCSO Act.
Delivering the verdict, the judge sentenced Singharia to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment with a fine of Rs 50,000. He was also awarded an additional one year of rigorous imprisonment with a fine of `5,000 for causing hurt. Both sentences will run concurrently.
As per the case record, the victim’s mother had lodged a complaint, alleging that Singharia had committed a sexual offence against the minor child. Following the complaint, police registered a case and arrested Singharia on December 16, 2024.
During the trial, as many as 14 witnesses were examined. The court observed that the nature and gravity of the offence warranted stringent punishment. The case was represented by special public prosecutor RK Sriwas.