Mangaluru: Man sentenced to 20 years rigorous imprisonment for sexual assault on minor girl

Mangaluru: The Additional Sessions Court and the FTSC-2 Court in Mangaluru sentenced a man to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment for sexually assaulting a six-year-old girl.

The convict, Benakaraj Lamani alias Raj (25) of Nelogal village in Haveri district, was employed as a home nurse to look after an elderly man at a home in Surathkal.

According to the chargesheet, Raj had sexually assaulted the elderly man’s granddaughter in January 2022. The incident took place when the girl’s mother had gone to buy medicines.

A case was registered in this regard at the Mangaluru Women’s police station. Inspector SH Bhajantri filed the charge sheet in court after the investigation.

Following a trial, Judge Manjula Itti delivered the verdict on October 5, 2023, holding the accused guilty of the crime. He was sentenced to 20 years rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs 25,000 under IPC Section 376 and POCSO Section 6, and 6 months simple imprisonment and a fine of Rs 1,000 under IPC Section 323.

The court also directed the Legal Services Authority to pay compensation of Rs 2 lakh to the aggrieved girl.

Special Public Prosecutor Venkataramana Swamy C. argued on behalf of the State.