K'taka: Man sentenced to 10 years rigorous imprisonment for raping minor

A special court in Shivamogga on Saturday sentenced a 32-year-old man to 10 years rigorous imprisonment for raping a 7-year-old girl, in a case which goes back to 2014.

The convict, Bhaskara, was found guilty under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO Act) 2012 and also fined Rs 30,000 by the special court judge KB Shivaprasad.

The minor victim will also get a compensation of Rs 3 lakhs from the state government which will be used for her further studies.

"The accused, Bhaskara, who used to work as a coolie, had called the girl to her house under the pretext of offering prasad and then sexually assaulted her. She had then narrated the incident to the other girls and the caretaker," said special public prosecutor SK Murthy Rao, who argued on the victim's behalf.

"The matter was raised by a social activist from the area, who approached the police after listening to the ordeal of the girl. The police had recorded the statement of the girl and other witnesses following which a charge sheet was filed in the matter," he added.

Rao added that there were 250 such cases pending in the district, with some involving other minor girls and added, "According to the law, such cases should be dealt with in a year but as there is only one court it is not possible to do so because of the pendency of cases.