BHUBANESWAR: A minor, who faced trial as an adult under the Juvenile Justice Act, 2015, in the alleged rape and murder of a five-year-old child in Nayagarh district in 2020, was sentenced to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment by a children’s court on Tuesday. This is the first such incident in Odisha where a minor was tried as an adult and found guilty after the JJ Act was amended in the aftermath of the 2012 Nirbhaya case.
The accused, who was a 17-year-old when he was detained on December 20, 2020, was a neighbour of the deceased. The heinous offence had triggered outrage across the state.
The child went missing while playing outside her house on July 14, 2020.
Defence to challenge verdict in high court
Her skeletal remains were found near a pond, about 500 metres from her home on July 23. As mystery deepened over the cause of her death and Nayagarh police failed to unravel the truth, her parents attempted selfimmolation outside the state assembly on November 24, drawing the govt’s attention to the sensitive case. Four days later, the govt constituted a special investigation team (SIT) led by ADG (crime branch) Arun Bothra to probe the case under the supervision of Orissa high court.
“We placed adequate evidence, backed by scientific and forensic investigations, against the accused. Motive of the murder was sexual assault. We had found semen stains on the girl’s dress,” an SIT officer said. According to public prosecutor Chittaranjan Kanungo, 31 witnesses were examined in court and 135 exhibits of the crime and 18 material objects were submitted during the trial. “Had the accused not been a minor, he would have been sentenced to life imprisonment or capital punishment,” Kanungo said. Defence lawyer Bijay Mishra said they would challenge the verdict in high court. Mishra said the prosecution has no evidence against his client.
The accused is in an observation home in Rourkela following his arrest. The deceased’s mother, who has been demanding a CBI probe into the case, said the convict is innocent. During trial, she even gave a statement in favour of the accused. “I have been telling from the beginning that the SIT arrested an innocent, who has now been convicted. The SIT protected two real culprits — an influential politician and his associate — whose names I had told the police multiple times,” the girl’s mother said.
(The victim’s identity has not been revealed to protect her privacy as per Supreme court directives on cases related to sexual assault)
The accused, who was a 17-year-old when he was detained on December 20, 2020, was a neighbour of the deceased. The heinous offence had triggered outrage across the state.
The child went missing while playing outside her house on July 14, 2020.
Defence to challenge verdict in high court
Her skeletal remains were found near a pond, about 500 metres from her home on July 23. As mystery deepened over the cause of her death and Nayagarh police failed to unravel the truth, her parents attempted selfimmolation outside the state assembly on November 24, drawing the govt’s attention to the sensitive case. Four days later, the govt constituted a special investigation team (SIT) led by ADG (crime branch) Arun Bothra to probe the case under the supervision of Orissa high court.
“We placed adequate evidence, backed by scientific and forensic investigations, against the accused. Motive of the murder was sexual assault. We had found semen stains on the girl’s dress,” an SIT officer said. According to public prosecutor Chittaranjan Kanungo, 31 witnesses were examined in court and 135 exhibits of the crime and 18 material objects were submitted during the trial. “Had the accused not been a minor, he would have been sentenced to life imprisonment or capital punishment,” Kanungo said. Defence lawyer Bijay Mishra said they would challenge the verdict in high court. Mishra said the prosecution has no evidence against his client.
The accused is in an observation home in Rourkela following his arrest. The deceased’s mother, who has been demanding a CBI probe into the case, said the convict is innocent. During trial, she even gave a statement in favour of the accused. “I have been telling from the beginning that the SIT arrested an innocent, who has now been convicted. The SIT protected two real culprits — an influential politician and his associate — whose names I had told the police multiple times,” the girl’s mother said.
(The victim’s identity has not been revealed to protect her privacy as per Supreme court directives on cases related to sexual assault)