Assam: Court sentences Morigaon man to 4 years rigorous imprisonment under POCSO Act

In a significant judgment delivered by the Additional Sessions Judge-cum-Special POCSO Judge, the accused Pradip Konwar has been convicted in connection with Morigaon Police Station Case No. 149/2020. 

The court has sentenced him to rigorous imprisonment (RI) for a period of four years under Section 8 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

In addition to the primary conviction under the POCSO Act, Konwar was also found guilty under Section 354 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and was sentenced to another four years of RI, coupled with a fine of Rs. 5,000. Failure to pay this fine would result in an additional one month of imprisonment. 

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Furthermore, the court convicted him under Section 451 of the IPC, imposing a one-year RI and a fine of Rs. 1,000, with an additional ten days of imprisonment if the fine is not paid. All sentences are to run concurrently.

The court further ordered that the three months already spent by the accused in custody during the trial be set off against the sentence under Section 428 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC). 

The Superintendent of District Jail, Morigaon, has been directed to take Pradip Konwar into custody and execute the sentence as per the legal provisions.