For the first time in the State, a fast track court here awarded life imprisonment to five gangrape accused while a juvenile was sent to a correction home here on Saturday.
The court delivered the verdict within a record 30 days and also slapped a fine of Rs 50,000 each on the five accused.
The six accused are Afzal Raja, Tinu Sahu, Hadu Panchabihar, Ashirvad Behera, Abhilash Panchabihar and a minor of Sason Bazaaarpada here. They all were found guilty under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
A 14-year-old girl from Sasan town in the district was gangraped by six people including a minor on May 2, who later hanged herself in her home.
The case was heard by ADJ Santosh Panda, who completed the hearing holding court for 14 hours at a stretch. The prosecution had 21 witnesses who were asked to be present on Saturday.
The Sambalpur police after completing the probe had filed chargesheet within 15 days.
Northern Range DIG Satyabrata Bhoi on Sunday praised the efforts of the Sambalpur police and district judiciary for completing investigation and judgement in the sensational Sasan gangrape case in record time.
“At a time when Odisha has launched the “Pari Pain Katha Tiye” campaign for spreading awareness on safety of minor girls in the State, the judgement in the gangrape case coming in just 30 days is an achievement by the district police,” said Bhoi. “The credit goes to SP Sanjeev Arora and his team for their hard work in investigating and filing the chargesheet in record time,” Bhoi said. Awarding of life term to the five convicts will set a precedent and act as deterrent for others, he said.