A local court in Bargarh district on Thursday awarded 20 years of rigorous imprisonment (RI) to a man for the repeated sexual abuse of a 16-year-old girl under the false pretext of marriage under Paikamal police station area in 2022.
The convict, identified as Saroj Bariha (21), was found guilty under Section 376(2)(n) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Section 6 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
As per reports, the minor victim, accompanied by her parents, lodged a written report at Paikmal Police Station on February 21, 2022. In her complaint, she alleged that Saroj Bariha, from her village, had sexually assaulted her repeatedly for over a year, between February 2021 and January 2022, based on false promises of marriage.
The complainant further said that when the victim became pregnant, the accused, Saroj, fled the village and switched off his mobile phone.
Subsequently, the victim disclosed the matter to her mother, and a village meeting was convened regarding the issue. However, the accused Saroj’s parents failed to take any steps to provide shelter for the victim, prompting her to report the matter at Paikmal Police Station to initiate necessary legal action against Saroj.
Following the registration of the First Information Report (FIR), the Bargarh police arrested the accused Saroj on June 27, 2022.
After examining various exhibits and other evidence, the court on Thursday convicted Saroj for sexually abusing the minor girl and sentenced 20 years of RI to him.
The court also directed the District Legal Services Authority to provide financial compensation of Rs 11 lakhs to the victim under the victim compensation scheme.
In another significant judgment in a POCSO case, a local court in Angul district on Wednesday sentenced a 20-year-old youth to 25 years of rigorous imprisonment for sexually assaulting his sister-in-law’s eight-year-old daughter on August 19, 2024.
