Odisha: Man gets lifer for raping blind minor girl

Bhubaneswar, Aug 13 A special POCSO court in Jharsuguda district of Odisha on Wednesday sentenced a 54-year-old person to life imprisonment for raping a blind minor girl in Rengali police station area of the district in May this year.

As per the case details, on May 2, the victim, a blind minor girl, visited the accused Giridhari Naik's house to listen to the television. Being his neighbour, the victim would often visit his house for this purpose.

Taking advantage of the afternoon hours when his family was asleep, the accused Giridhari forcibly raped the girl by gagging her mouth. He had also threatened to kill the minor victim if she disclosed the crime to anyone.

However, on the next day, the victim disclosed the ordeal to her father, who subsequently lodged an FIR at the Rengali Police Station on May 6.

The local police immediately swung into action and arrested the accused Giridhari on May 8.

On May 28, the Jharsuguda Police, after completion of the investigation, submitted the chargesheet in the case, within 22 days of the filing of the case.

The court, after going through statements of witnesses and exhibits produced by the police, pronounced the judgment on Wednesday, within 99 days of the filing of the FIR.

“In a landmark achievement that underscores its commitment to women's safety and speedy justice, Jharsuguda Police has successfully secured a life imprisonment conviction in a horrific rape case involving a minor blind girl within a record 99 days of FIR registration. This case stands as a testament to the police force's scientific investigation methods and effective trial monitoring under the new criminal justice system,” asserted the Odisha police in a press note on Wednesday.

The Odisha police further noted that the district Police of Jharsuguda employed advanced forensic techniques, including DNA analysis, to build an irrefutable case.

The court has awarded a compensation of Rs 10,50,000 to the victim girl under The NALSA (Victim Compensation Scheme) Regulations, 2018.

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