Stepfather convicted of sexually assaulting 12 year old daughter gets 20 years imprisonment

Balasore. A POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses) court in Odisha’s Balasore district on Thursday sentenced a 42-year-old man to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment for sexually assaulting his 12-year-old minor step-daughter.

Balasore special judge POCSO Ranjan Kumar Sutar also imposed a fine of Rs 5,000 on the man, who will have to undergo an additional two years of imprisonment in default of payment of the fine.

Special Public Prosecutor Pranab Kumar Panda said the court announced the verdict after examining 15 witnesses and 17 pieces of evidence under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and the POCSO Act. The court directed that a compensation of Rs 4 lakh be given to the victim through the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA).

According to the prosecution, Manoranjan Behera, a resident of Pathrapura in Jaleshwar police station area, committed the crime when the victim was alone in the house. When her mother returned home, the victim narrated her ordeal. The victim’s mother lodged an FIR with the police on April 2, 2019. The police investigated the case, arrested the accused and sent him to court.