Agartala, August 01, 2023: A special court in west Tripura district has sentenced a man to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment for raping his minor stepdaughter. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 30,000 on the convict, failing which he will have to serve an additional six months in jail.

The convict, identified as Amar Nama, was found guilty under Indian Penal Code sections 376(2)(f) and 376(AB) and section 6 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. According to special public prosecutor Pradip Sutradhar, Nama sexually assaulted his stepdaughter on the night of July 1, 2022, when her mother was out of town.

The incident came to light when the owners of the rented house where Nama lived with his family heard the cries of the victim and alerted the neighbours. The locals caught Nama and handed him over to the police. A case was registered against him the next day.

The court, headed by special judge Sharmistha Mukherjee, pronounced the verdict after recording the statements of 22 witnesses. Sutradhar said that the court delivered a speedy and exemplary justice to the victim.