Kendrapara: Additional District and Sessions Judge Kendrapara Pragnya Panigrahi Tuesday sentenced an accused for 29 months of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs 5,000 in a molestation case.
Additional public prosecutor Sanjay Kumar Jena said the Judge awarded the punishment after dismissing the criminal appeal case of the accused and upholding the lower court’s order.
Jena said Babuli alias Lalita Mohan Swain of Maladiha village under Mahakalapada police station limits in Kendrapara district allegedly outraged the modesty of the wife of a teacher of Nuagaon (Angulai) July 27, 2006.
Mahakalpara police registered a case against Swain U/S 354,448 of IPC, arrested him and produced him before the local court.
The JMFC court Kendrapara had convicted Swain in 2013 and sentenced him to two years of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of RS 5,000.
The court had also ruled that Swain would have to undergo three months of jail u/s 354 IPC and five months of rigorous imprisonment under Section 448 IPC if he failed to pay the fine.
Challenging the impugned judgment the accused had filed a criminal appeal in the court of Additional District and Session Judge of Kendrapara. The ADJ court Tuesday confirmed the order of conviction earlier awarded by the JMFC court after finding him guilty, and dismissed the criminal appeal.
The Judge directed Swain, who is on bail to surrender before the court within 20 days from today to serve the remaining part of the sentence failing which the trial court shall take appropriate steps for his arrest and send him to jail custody, the Additional Public prosecutor said.
(UNI)