Man Sentenced to 20 Years for Sexual Assault on Minor Girl
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On Saturday, Additional Sessions Judge R.P. Pande handed down a 20-year rigorous imprisonment (RI) sentence to Bajrangi Bajarilal Jharia for his involvement in the penetrative sexual assault of a minor girl. The incident took place in Savri, tehsil Keolari, district Seoni, Madhya Pradesh (MP).According to the prosecution, Bajrangi Jharia (20) abducted a 12-year-old girl from her parents' legal custody in the Hudkeshwar area around 7 pm on June 12, 2022, before sexually assaulting her. The victim was later discovered in the company of Bajrangi, his brother Premlal (22), and Durga Shersingh Jharia (35) in the Jaripatka area on June 18, 2022. Premlal and Durga hailed from the same locality as Bajrangi.Following a complaint lodged by the victim's 35-year-old mother, a case was registered against Bajrangi, Premlal, and Durga under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. The trio was arrested by the police on June 18, 2022.Assistant Police Inspector Satyavan Kadam investigated the case and filed a chargesheet against the accused in court. With the charges proven against Bajrangi, the court imposed a 20-year RI term along with a fine of Rs 10,000 for the offence under Section 6 of the POCSO Act. Additionally, he was sentenced to one year of RI and fined Rs 5,000 under Section 363 of the IPC.The court acquitted Premlal and Durga due to the prosecution's failure to substantiate the charges against them. Representing the State, Additional Public Prosecutor Adv Sonali Raut presented the case, while Adv Ajay Lambat acted as the defence counsel.
