The Additional District and Sessions Court (POCSO Special) in Kalaburagi has sentenced Jagannath Karani, a resident of Muganur village in Sedam taluk of Kalaburagi district, to 20 year imprisonment for sexually assaulting a minor girl.
As per the details provided by Shanthaveer Tuppad, Public Prosecutor in the case, the convict had lured the girl in with a promise of marriage and had sexually abused her multiple times for a year. The matter came to light when the victim became pregnant. Following a complaint, a First Information Report (FIR) was registered at Sedam Police Station. Later, the Circle Inspector of Police (Sedam) Rajashekhar V. Halagodhi who investigated the case, filed a chargesheet confirming the allegations made in the complaint.
Yamanappa Bammanagi, the judge, heard both parties and examined the witnesses and found the accused guilty of the crimes mentioned in the charge sheet. On November 29, 2023, he sentenced the offender to a 20-year jail term and imposed a fine of ₹20,000 on him under Section 6 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012. He also gave him 3-year jail term and imposed a fine of ₹3000 under Section 8 of the same Act. The sentences would run concurrently.
The judge also ordered the Legal Services Authority to pay a compensation of ₹7 lakh to the victim within a month of the pronouncement of the decision.
