Odisha man gets life imprisonment for impregnating minor girl

Phulbani: A special POCSO court here in Odisha’s Kandhamal district today awarded life imprisonment to a person for raping and impregnating a minor girl.

The court also imposed a fine of Rs 30,000 on Suryakant Bhoi, the convict. In the case of non-payment of the amount, he will have to undergo an additional imprisonment of two years.

According to information, Bhoi, a resident of Bakarimunda village under Baliguda police limits in the district, had raped the girl, a class-X student, after promising her to marry.

The girl had given birth to a baby girl in 2015 following which a meeting of the Gram Sabha was convened for a solution. However, the decision of the Gram sabha was not accepted by him.

The family members of the girl later lodged a complaint with Baliguda police leading to registration of a case against him.

Adjudicating the case, POCSO court judge Sushant patel today sentenced Bhoi to life imprisonment.