The Sixth Additional District and Sessions Court sentenced a 32-year-old man from Belthangady to seven years of rigorous imprisonment (RI) for sexually assaulting his 17-year-old relative, on Monday.
The court, which is one of the four special courts in the state, has been newly set up by the High Court to exclusively hear sexual assault cases. It is the first judgement by the special court in Dakshina Kannada after it came into existence in January.
Pronouncing the verdict, which did not last for more than two minutes, Judge S H Pushpanjali Devi convicted Chandappa alias Babu Nalke for sexually assaulting the girl under Section 376 (sexual assault), 366 (kidnap) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code.
Chandappa has been sentenced to seven years of RI under Section 376 and has been slapped a penalty of Rs 10,000 or serve a simple imprisonment (SI) of one year, if he fails to pay the fine.
In addition, the convict has been sentenced to seven years of RI under Section 366 of the IPC and imposed a penalty of Rs 10,000. The convict will have to undergo yet another year of SI, if he fails to pay the penalty.
Further, rigorous imprisonment of one year has been sentenced to the convict under Section 506 of the IPC and penalty of Rs 1,000 has been imposed or serve SI of three months, if he fails in paying the fine.
Chandappa had sexually assaulted the young girl who happens to be his relative, on May 14, 2012.
According to the chargesheet filed by Belthangady police, Chandappa had taken the girl to a secluded place in Melanathabettu with a promise of helping her to meet a shop owner who would give her a job.
On reaching the remote place, he sexually assaulted her. Following the complaint, the police arrested him on May 16, 2012.
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