Bhubaneswar: A POCSO court in Odisha’s Jharsuguda district sentenced a man to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment (RI) for raping a minor girl around a year ago.

The court also slapped a penalty of Rs 50,000 on convict Ajay Singh (30) of Pumphousepada, IB Thermal, under Banharpali police limits in Jharsuguda. The convict will undergo an additional one year of RI in case of non-payment of the penalty.

The court awarded the punishment to Singh after convicting him under Section 6 of the POCSO Act and Section 65(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023.  

As per the case records, the accused had sexually assaulted the six-year-old girl on June 22, 2025. The Banharpali police in Jharsuguda had registered a case in this regard on June 25 last year.

Considering the gravity of the crime and the mental trauma suffered by the victim, the court recommended a compensation of Rs 8 lakh to her under the NALSA Victim Compensation Scheme.   

The compensation amount will be deposited in an interest-bearing fixed deposit in a nationalised bank in the victim’s name until she attains majority, said the court.