Kanpur: A special Pocso court in Kanpur Nagar on Friday sentenced a man to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment along with a fine of Rs 61,000. The presiding judge, Rashmi Singh, further observed in her order that Arijit Giri would have to undergo one more year of simple imprisonment if he failed to pay the fine.Around 80 per cent of the fine amount will be given to the victim as compensation for her mental and physical agony. The period he had spent in jail during the trial would be adjusted in the punishment period.According to special prosecutor Bhavana Gupta, the court had held Giri guilty on July 20 and had fixed July 31 for hearing on the quantum of sentence. The defence counsel pleaded that the accused belonged to a poor family and was the only person who used to earn bread and butter. He had no criminal history; therefore, the court should take a lenient view.The prosecution, while pleading on the point of sentence, said the accused, along with co-accused Sonu, had forced their entry into the house of the survivor. They threatened to kill her and physically exploited her. Sonu died during the trial, hence his file was abated.The special prosecutor told the court that the complainant was the mother of the survivor. She lodged a complaint at the SSP’s office in Kanpur, stating stated that she, along with her husband, had gone to Azad Nagar to attend a family function on Feb 11, 2016. Her 12-year-old daughter was alone in the house. When she returned, her daughter told her that Arijit and Sonu had forced their entry into the house and physically exploited her.
