Tuition teacher sent to jail for raping 8-year-old girl; fine of Rs 50,000 imposed

NEW DELHI: A local court in Odisha’s Kendrapara district on Wednesday sent a tuition teacher to jail for 20 years for raping an eight-year-old girl around three years ago. The additional district judge-cum-special judge (POCSO), Kendrapara, sentenced 36-year-old Prasant Das and also imposed a fine of Rs 50,000, with failure to pay the fine resulting in his sentence being increased by one year.

The victim, a class 4 student at the time, was reportedly studying in the village school when the incident occurred. The court also directed the Odisha State Legal Services Authority (OSLSA) to pay a compensation of Rs 5 lakh to the minor girl. The accused, who used to tutor the victim at her house, had sexually assaulted her during a lesson.

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Pronouncing the verdict, Judge Pragyan Paramita Roul convicted Das to 20 years of imprisonment for the crime committed on December 20, 2022. The accused was found guilty based on the testimony of 14 witnesses, including that of the victim girl, and the supporting medical report, said Manoj Kumar Sahu, the prosecution counsel.