Odisha: Man gets 20 yrs in jail for raping a minor, now his wife

The alleged rape occurred in 2016 when the victim was a minor. The man eventually married her after she turned 18 when he was released on bail.

Angul (Odisha): A 29-year-old man accused of raping a minor who is now his wife was sentenced to 20 years in jail by a fast-track court in Odisha's Angul district on Monday. The man was arrested for sexual assault under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act on a complaint filed by the victim's family in January 2021.

A girl from the Banarpal area lodged a complaint against the accused, Gobardhan Naik that the man had sexually assaulted her under the pretext of marriage. According to the complaint, the alleged rape occurred in 2016 when she was a minor. Based on the police complaint, Gobardhan was arrested and sent to jail. In July last year, the man eventually married her after she turned 18 when he was released on bail.

The judge, however, sentenced him, saying that such offenses leave an indelible mark on the child's mind. The court has also asked the convict to pay a fine of 10,000. The convicted man's lawyer Rabindranath Pattnaik said he would appeal against the order before the Orissa high court.

"We both have been in love for some years. I wanted to marry him but my family disagreed. On family pressure, I filed a case against my husband. For which he went to jail. Now I want my husband back in my life. My husband is innocent," said the victim.