Shivamogga: A 32-year-old man who was accused of raping a seven-year-old in 2014, was sentenced to ten years of rigorous imprisonment by a special district court on Saturday, December 7.
Special court judge KB Shivaprasad, who presided over the case, found the accused guilty under the POSCO Act (2012). A fine of Rs 30,000 was also imposed on the convict who was identified as Bhaskar.
The state government has announced that the rape victim will receive a compensation of Rs 3 lakhs for future studies.
Speaking to ANI, special public prosecutor SK Murthy Rao said, “The accused, Bhaskara, who used to work as a coolie, had called the girl to her house under the pretext of offering prasad and then sexually assaulted her. She had then narrated the incident to the other girls and the caretaker.”
Rao further said, “The matter was raised by a social activist from the area, who approached the police after listening to the ordeal of the girl. The police had recorded the statement of the girl and other witnesses following which a charge sheet was filed in the matter.”
“According to the law, such cases should be dealt with in a year but as there is only one court, it is not possible to do so because of the pendency of cases,” he added.
(with inputs from ANI)