Mangalore: Court awards man life sentence for raping mentally-challenged minor girl

A court in Mangalore on Monday awarded life sentence to a 50-year-old man for raping a mentally-challenged minor girl at her residence over a two-month period last year.

Dakshina Kannada District Principal and Sessions Court Judge, Uma A G, also imposed a fine of Rs 56,000 on the man convicted for raping the 15-year-old girl five times by luring her with a drug that she was addicted to. The court ordered that the victim would receive Rs 50,000 and that she could file an application to the legal services authority to claim further compensation.

The convicted, Sundara took advantage of the absence of the victim's parents, daily wage labourers who used to leave the girl alone at home, according to the police. The police team which investigated the case had reported that the man told the girl he would stop giving her drugs if she revealed to anyone about his advances. Sundara was arrested 18 months.

A total of 16 witnesses, including the girl's parents, had recorded their statements before the court, which is also the designated court for handling cases under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act 2012.