Daijiworld Media Network - Udupi (SP)

Udupi, Mar 8: Through a verdict delivered on Monday March 7, the district additional and sessions court here, which also is the special court for Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act cases, sentenced a person facing the charge of committing sexual atrocity on a minor girl seven years back and impregnating her, to ten years of jail term.

The accused, who has been found guilty happens to be Mallappa Siddappa Chalavadi (45) from Bagalkot. He was working for an under construction site in the town. At that time, he had tricked the girl to bend to his desires and had sexually used her. The girl had later become pregnant and given birth to child, it was said.

Later, the accused had taken her to some places including Goa. He had escaped after deserting her and the child at Bagalkot. The women's protection unit of that district, which came to know of this incident, had registered a case under POCSO Act in Koodagi police station.

The case was shifted to Udupi women's police station on the basis of the location of the crime. The then police inspector, Naveen Chandra, who investigated the case, had filed a charge sheet against the accused. Out of the 43 witnesses named in the complaint, 18 were examined. Leading witnesses including the victim had adduced evidence supporting the prosecution stand. The DNA tests conducted on the victim, her baby and the accused also supported the prosecution theory. Judge of the court, Yermal Kalpana, who concluded that the charges have been proved, awarded ten years jail term and fine of Rs 5,000 to the accused. The court said that if the guilty fails to pay fine, he will have to undergo six more months of jail term. The judge also ordered to pay five lac rupees as compensation to the victim.

Special public prosecutor of Udupi POCSO court, Y Raghavendra, argued the case on behalf of the prosecution.