Odisha court sentences man to 25 years' rigorous imprisonment for raping minor daughter

Balasore, Odisha: A court in Odisha’s Balasore district Monday sentenced a man to 25 years of rigorous imprisonment for raping his minor daughter earlier this year.

Special judge of Balasore court under the POCSO act, Ranjan Kumar Sutar, also imposed a fine of Rs 5,000 on the convict, failing which he will have to undergo another two-year jail term, said Special Public Prosecutor Pranab Kumar Panda.

The court pronounced the judgment based on the statements of 12 witnesses and 28 exhibits.

It also directed that compensation of Rs 5 lakh be paid to the victim from the district legal services authority (DLSA).

The incident took place at a village in Singla area in August. The mother of the 13-year-old had lodged a complaint against her husband Fagu Marandi (40) on August 6 at Singla police station, following which he was arrested.

In the complaint, she mentioned that her daughter was raped by Marandi when she was not at home.