Malda, Oct. 15 -- The Additional District and Sessions Judge (ADJ-II) POCSO court in Malda on Thursday sentenced Mukul Kirtaniya, to 20 years of imprisonment for raping a minor girl in 2023.
Judge Susmita Roy also imposed a fine of Rs 2 lakh on the convict, directing that the amount be paid to the victim as compensation.
According to the prosecution, the incident took place on November 11, 2023, when the minor girl went to a pond at around 1 pm to bathe. Kirtaniya, who was known to the girl and whom she regarded as a brother-in-law, called her. Trusting him, the girl went with him to his house, where he allegedly raped her.
Following the incident, a case was registered and the investigation led to the commencement of legal proceedings against the accused. The prosecution presented 16 witnesses during the trial to establish the charges against Kirtaniya.
After examining the evidence and witness testimonies, the court found the accused guilty and pronounced the sentence on Thursday.
Special Public Prosecutor (PP) of the POCSO court, Suparna Ganguly, said: "The court has sentenced Mukul Kirtaniya to 20 years of imprisonment for raping a minor girl. A fine of Rs 2 lakh has also been imposed, and the amount is to be paid to the victim as compensation," Ganguly said.
She further stated that failure to pay the fine would result in an additional six months of imprisonment.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.