Mangaluru: The Seventh Additional District and Sessions Court in Mangaluru has sentenced two men to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment each in two separate cases involving the sexual assault of minor girls within the limits of Kadaba Police Station. The cases relate to incidents reported in 2018 and 2019, respectively.

Judge Sumangala Chakalabbi pronounced the judgments after finding both accused guilty of offences under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and relevant provisions of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

The court also imposed financial penalties on both convicts and directed that the sentences under different sections run concurrently. It further ordered that each convict would have to undergo an additional year of imprisonment in case of failure to pay the respective fines.

32-year-old sentenced for abduction and sexual assault

In the first case, Ravi alias Ravindra Acharya (32) was sentenced to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment for abducting and sexually assaulting a minor girl and threatening her in 2018.

The case was registered at Kadaba Police Station under Sections 376(2)(i) (rape of a woman under 16 years of age) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the IPC, along with Sections 5(l) and 6 of the POCSO Act, 2012.

Following the registration of the case, D Manjunath, who was then serving as the Uppinangady Circle Inspector, conducted the investigation and filed a chargesheet against the accused.

During the trial, the prosecution presented its case and evidence before the Seventh Additional District and Sessions Court. After hearing the arguments and examining the case, Judge Sumangala Chakalabbi found Ravi guilty and pronounced the sentence.

The court sentenced him to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment under Section 6, read with Section 5(l) of the POCSO Act, and imposed a fine of Rs 25,000.

He was also sentenced to one year of rigorous imprisonment under Section 506 of the IPC for criminal intimidation, along with an additional fine of Rs 25,000.

The court directed that both sentences run concurrently, meaning the imprisonment terms will be served simultaneously.

Public Prosecutor Pushparaj Adanthaya represented the prosecution and presented arguments during the trial.

Saddam gets 20 years for assaulting minor at her home

In a separate case, the same court sentenced 34-year-old Saddam to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment for sexually assaulting a minor girl at her residence in 2019.

The case was registered at Kadaba Police Station under Sections 376(2)(n), 376(3) and 506 of the IPC, along with Sections 5(j)(ii), 5(l) and 6 of the POCSO Act.

The provisions invoked in the case relate to repeated sexual assault and aggravated offences involving a child below the age of 16, apart from criminal intimidation.

Nagesh K, who was then serving as the Uppinangady Circle Inspector, conducted the investigation and filed the chargesheet against Saddam.

After examining the evidence and hearing the arguments, Judge Sumangala Chakalabbi found the accused guilty and convicted him.

The court sentenced Saddam to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment under Section 6, read with Sections 5(l) and 5(j)(ii) of the POCSO Act. A fine of Rs 50,000 was also imposed.

Additionally, he was sentenced to one year’s imprisonment under Section 506 of the IPC for criminal intimidation and directed to pay a fine of Rs 25,000.

As in the first case, the court ordered that the sentences run concurrently.

Additional imprisonment for failure to pay fines

In both cases, the court specified that the convicts would have to undergo an additional year of imprisonment if they failed to pay the respective fines imposed as part of their sentences.

The judgments underline the serious criminal consequences for offences involving sexual assault of children under the POCSO Act.

According to police records, Saddam is a rowdy-sheeter at Kadaba Police Station, and several cases have been registered against him at Kadaba and Uppinangady police stations.

The two judgments relate to separate incidents and investigations, with the police officers concerned filing individual chargesheets before the court.

With both accused sentenced to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment, the court has concluded the trials in the two cases, reinforcing the legal consequences for sexual offences against minors.