Chandigarh, Feb. 19 -- A local court on Wednesday sentenced a Sarangpur resident to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment (RI) in a case registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act at Sarangpur police station in January 2024. The convict, Jaswinder Singh, was arrested for raping a 12-year-old girl, who was initially reported missing. Police registered an FIR in the case, and during the investigation, it was found that she was raped. The case was subsequently registered under Sections 366 (kidnapping), 376(2)(N) (committing rape repeatedly on same woman), 376(3) (rape of woman under 16 years old), 376-D (gangrape) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Section 6 (penetrative sexual assault) of the POCSO Act. Following trial, the court convicted Singh and imposed a fine of Rs.70,000, along with 20 years of RI. The detailed sentencing order is awaited. A special fast-track court in Panchkula sentenced a 23-year-old man to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment (RI) under Section 4 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act for sexually assaulting a minor. The court also imposed a fine of Rs.25,000. In default of payment, the convict will undergo an additional four months of simple imprisonment. The case dates back to 2019, when the mother of the 15-year-old victim lodged an FIR on May 13 after her daughter went missing on May 9. Suspicion fell on a neighbour who worked at a butcher's shop. The minor later returned home and recorded her statement before a judicial magistrate first class (JMIC) court under the code of criminal procedure (CrPC). Following her medical examination, Section 4 of the POCSO Act was added to the case and the accused was arrested on December 23, 2019. Deputy district attorney Sukhwinder Kaur said the victim supported the prosecution during the trial. DNA evidence presented in court confirmed the involvement of the accused....