BARIPADA: Sumita Jena, the presiding officer of Special Court under POCSO Act in the district, on Monday, sentenced a 60-year-old man to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment (RI) for sexually assaulting his 12-year-old granddaughter. A fine of `10,000 was also slapped on him.
The convict Jagamohan Naik of Sankucha village under Jharpokharia police limits, had sexually assaulted his granddaughter, when her mother had left her at his house close by while going to work on March 20, 2021. After she returned, she found the girl crying on the terrace for not being able to urinate due to severe pain. On being questioned, she said her grandfather, assaulted her when she was sleeping in his cot, informed public prosecutor Abhinna Kumar Pattanaik quoting the complainant’s allegations.
The complainant took her daughter to Sirsha Hospital and later shifted her to Baripada PRM MCH as her condition deteriorated. A report was filed in Jharpokharia police limits on the same day and the case was registered. The accused was arrested on the day and sent to judicial custody, Pattanaik added. The Court also directed the District Legal Service Authority to pay `4 lakh to the survivor.