BALURGHAT, Dec. 2 -- In two separate cases, the Dakshin Dinajpur District Court in Balurghat delivered convictions on Tuesday, including a major POCSO judgement and a life-term sentence for criminal breach of trust by a public servant. In the first case, the ADJ Second Court-cum-Special POCSO Court, Judge Saranya Sen Prasad convicted a man under Section 6 of the POCSO Act for sexually assaulting his 14-year-old stepdaughter. The case dates back to June 18, 2024, when the victim's mother lodged a complaint at Balurghat Police Station. She had remarried after her first husband's death and was residing in a rented house in Balurghat with her daughter and second husband while working as a housemaid.
According to the complaint, on June 17, 2024, the mother returned home in the evening to find her daughter suffering from acute abdominal pain. The girl was taken to Balurghat District Hospital, where a medical examination revealed that she was four months pregnant. Upon further questioning, the minor informed doctors and police that her stepfather had repeatedly raped her. The girl later suffered a miscarriage but the court ordered preservation of the foetus. Subsequent DNA profiling confirmed the accused as the biological father. Following trial, the court found the accused guilty and sentenced him to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment along with a fine of Rs 10,000. Failure to pay the fine will invite an additional six years of rigorous imprisonment. The court also directed the District Legal Services Authority Secretary to provide Rs 2 lakh compensation to the survivor for her education and rehabilitation.
In the second case, the ADJ First Court Judge Santosh Kumar Pathak convicted 57-year-old Customs Inspector Baladitya Barik under Section 409 of the IPC for criminal breach of trust. Barik, posted at the Hili Preventive Unit, had earlier lodged a complaint on November 7, 2022, claiming that seven gold biscuits weighing 816.300 grams and valued at Rs 40,65,473-seized by BSF personnel on September 18, 2022 and handed over to him-had gone missing from his almirah locker while he was on leave. During investigation, Barik failed to provide a satisfactory explanation, leading to his arrest and subsequent chargesheet. After a full trial, the court on Tuesday sentenced Barik to life imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 20,000. In case of non-payment, he will undergo an additional one year of imprisonment without labour. Public prosecutor Ritabrata Chakraborty said the twin verdicts underscore the court's strong stance against crimes involving vulnerable victims and breach of trust by public officials.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.