Balasore , June 27 (UNI) Special Judge POCSO Indira Priyadarshini has convicted a 60-year-old rape accused and awarded him life term imprisonment along with Rs 10,000 penalty.

The court further ordered one-year more jail term if the convict failed to pay up.

According to special public prosecutor Pranab Panda, the convict, identified as Padmalochan Lochan Kamila, a resident of Balia colony under Sahadevkhunta police station limits, had sexually assaulted a 13-year-old differently-abled girl of her locality on April 17, 2024.

The mother of the victim lodged an FIR with police. The accused was arrested and tried under different sections of IPC including 376(2)(n)/376(3) and 6 of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

The court after examining 20 witnesses and 17 exhibits sentenced him life along with fine and directed to pay Rs 4 lakh compensation to the victim through District Legal Services Authority (DLSA), Panda said.

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