Bihar: 10 years rigorous imprisonment to orphanage manager for sexually abusing children

An orphanage manager was on Thursday sentenced to ten years' rigorous imprisonment by a court in Bihar's Vaishali district for sexually abusing children at a home being run by him.

Additional District and Sessions Judge B K Tripathi convicted the orphanage manager Praduman Kumar alias Father Teresa and sentenced him to ten years' RI. The court slapped penalty (ranging from Rs 5,000 to Rs 10,000) under sections of Protection Of Children from Sexual Offence Act and Sections 376 and 377 of IPC for sodomizing and sexually abusing destitute children.

The convict will have to serve RI for an additional three months in the event of failure to pay penalty, the judge ruled. A total of 37 destitute children, staying at the orphanage 'Lokseva Ashram Anathalaya' in Chakbajha village under Patedhi Belsar block, had lodged a complaint with the police on October 25, last year charging Kumar with sexually abusing them.

The then Vaishali District Magistrate Jitendra Srivastava had directed a Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO) to probe the issue following which a medical examination was conducted on the victims. Kumar was arrested on October 27, last year and tried in fast-track court.