Three Convictions in Puri Fast Track Court in Rape and Theft Cases

Puri: In a significant development, the Fast Track Special Court in Puri delivered verdicts in three separate cases involving serious offences, including sexual crimes against minors and women, as well as a theft case.

In the first case registered at Gadishagoda Police Station in 2016, the court sentenced accused Ajay alias Ranjan Kumar Bhoi to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment along with a fine of Rs 5 lakh under Section 376(2)(i) of the IPC for raping a 13-year-old minor girl. The court also ordered an additional one-month simple imprisonment in case of non-payment of the fine.

The verdict was pronounced by Additional Special Judge Ramanath Panda on November 26, 2024. However, the accused had been absconding since then. Acting on a non-bailable warrant, a special police team apprehended Bhoi while he was attempting to flee the state and produced him before the court for execution of the sentence.

In another case under Brahmagiri Police Station, accused Pradeep Majhi was sentenced to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment with a fine of Rs 2,000 under Section 376(2)(i) IPC for sexually assaulting a differently-abled young woman. He was also convicted in a separate case (Brahmagiri PS Case No. 37/2024) and awarded 3 years of imprisonment along with a fine of Rs 10,000 under Section 354(A) IPC for sexual harassment. The prosecution was led by Additional Public Prosecutor Madhusudhan Dash.

In a third case (Kakatpur Case No. 5), accused Gagan Bihari Kakral Singh was convicted in a theft case and sentenced to 2 years and 3 months of rigorous imprisonment along with a fine of Rs 2,000.

The back-to-back verdicts highlight the court’s firm stance on crimes against women and minors, as well as its commitment to ensuring timely justice.