20-Year Jail Term for Raping Minor: Karnataka Court Delivers Verdict

The Additional District and Sessions (Special POCSO) FTSC-1 Court in Kalaburagi has sentenced a 22-year-old man to 20 years of imprisonment for the rape of a 17-year-old girl. The verdict was delivered by Judge S.L. Chavan after the accused was found guilty under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

The convict, identified as Navinkumar, son of Dastappa Dudyal, is a daily wage worker from Haiyyala village in Sedam taluk, Kalaburagi district. According to the prosecution, he stalked and harassed the victim while she went out to fetch groceries or answer nature's call. Despite her rejection, on March 30, 2025, he called her outside her house on a pretext, forcibly took her to a dilapidated house nearby, and sexually assaulted her. He threatened her with death to keep her silent and repeated the assault later that night.

On July 12, 2025, Navinkumar abducted the survivor, taking her by bus to Sedam and then to Aziz Nagar, Moinabad in Hyderabad. He falsely claimed they were orphaned to obtain employment at a local hotel and kept her confined in a rented room, where he repeatedly assaulted her. The police tracked them down and rescued the survivor on July 24, 2025.

Sedam Circle Inspector Mahadevappa D. and Kurukunta Sub-Inspector Chidananda conducted the investigation and filed a comprehensive charge-sheet. Court personnel, including constable Bhagavant and Head Constable Basalingappa, ensured regular witness appearances, while Head Constables Manikrao and Nagaraj served as case writers. Special Public Prosecutor Shanthaveer B. Thuppad argued the case, ensuring critical evidence secured the conviction.

The court sentenced the convict to 20 years of imprisonment and a fine of ₹25,000 under Section 6 of the POCSO Act, with a default sentence of six months simple imprisonment. Under Section 12 of the POCSO Act, he received one year of imprisonment and a fine of ₹10,000, with a default sentence of one month. Under the BNS, he was sentenced to one year of imprisonment and a fine of ₹10,000 under Section 78 for stalking, and another year with a fine of ₹10,000 under Section 351(2) for criminal intimidation. The total fine amounts to ₹55,000, with additional default sentences if fines are unpaid.

The judge also directed the Legal Services Authority to disburse ₹5,00,000 in compensation to the minor survivor within one month of the judgment, demonstrating institutional support for her rehabilitation.