Report by Kahnu Nanda, Jagatsinghpur: The Additional district Judge cum special judge in POCSO court Jagatsinghpur sent a man to the gallows raping and murdering a 9 year old girl in Gadaharishpur village under Erasama area 30 km away from here on Tuesday.
Terming the offence as shocking and cold blooded the ADJ Muni Rani Mishra awarded death penalty saying that the offence fell under the rarest of the rare category. The court relied to the Protection of the Children from Sexual Offences [POCSO] Act which has made the provision of the death penalty in rape case involving minor victim up to the age of 12 years.
Report said that the accused Laba Manna alias Kalia a married man from Gadaharishpur village had arrested by Erasama police on 21 March 2018 on the charge against him raping and murdering a 9 year old girl of same village. The accused man after raping the minor in a cashew garden killed her strangling, after committing the crime fled from village later cops had picked up from .Cuttack booked him under section 376 [2], 376 A, 302 IPC and section 6 of POCSO Act 2012 and trail of the case had taken in special POCSO court in Jagatsinghpur.
Taking as many as 25 witnesses and evidences as well as medical reports supplied by the prosecution court found the accused guilty and awarded the capital punishment. The court took note the intent of the POCSO Act and observed that the crimes are rising against children and must be dealt with severely, whoever commits aggravated penetrative sexual assault to minor shall be punished severely, judgment observed.
The incident had sparked tension in Erasama area, social activists, civil society body and women organizations had hit street, demanded gallows for the accused, state chief minister had sanctioned Rs 5 Lakh compensation for the deceased minor kin earlier.
For the first time a POCSO court in Jagatsinghpur awarded death penealty to an accused informed prosecution lawyer Siva Prasad Majhi, on the other hand accused lawyer Ravindra Swain described the judgment carried few factual flaws would be appealed in higher court, he said. [Ends]
Comments are closed.