Sundargarh: A Special POCSO Court in Sundargarh has sentenced a man to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment for raping a nine-year-old girl. The incident occurred in the Hemagiri area in February 2023.

The convict, identified as Kuna Pradhan, was also fined ₹20,000 by the court. In case of non-payment of the fine, he will have to serve an additional one year of imprisonment.

In its verdict, the court directed the District Legal Services Authority to provide an ex-gratia compensation of ₹7 lakh to the minor victim’s family.