Elderly Grandma & Man Get 30-Yr Jail from POCSO Court for Rape of Minor Girl in Keonjhar

Keonjhar: A special POSCO in Keonjhar on Wednesday sentenced a man and an aged woman to long rigorous imprisonment in a minor girl’s rape case.

The convicts included the step-grandmother of the victim, Amita Karua and a man named SK Shahzad.

The court sentenced Shahzad to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment (RI) and imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 on him for the charges under Sections 376(3) of IPC. The court also ordered 30 years of RI for the charges under Section 6 of POCSO Act and imposed a fine of Rs 20,000 fine on Shahzad. Both the sentences of Shahzad will run concretely.

The court sentenced Amita to 30 years of RI and imposed a fine of Rs 20,000 under Section 6/70 of POCSO Act. The court also directed the District Legal Services Authorities (DLSAs) to pay a compensation of Rs 6 lakh to the victim.

The minor girl was abandoned by her parents in 2018, and was living with her step-grandmother Amita Karua in Joda. SK Shahzad used to come to the elderly woman’s house regularly and he repeatedly raped the girl. Though Amita knew about it, she did not do anything to protect the girl. Amita also did not allow the girl’s mother to meet her.

The victim revealed her sexual exploitation by Shahzad to her uncle, when he came to Amita’s house. Later this uncle took the victim to his house and also filed a complaint at Joda police station on November 27, 2018. Amita and Shahzad were arrested and forwarded to the court.