India, Jan. 28 -- In a significant judgment, a Fast Track Special Court constituted under the POCSO Act at Baripada in Odisha's Mayurbhanj district has sentenced a man to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs10,000 after convicting him in a rape case.

The convict, Jisu alias Jishunath Hembram (38), a resident of Tiloposi village under Morada police station limits and son of late Ramesh Hembram, was found guilty of raping a woman in September 2022. He had been arrested a few days after committing the crime following a written complaint with the police. His trial had commenced on October 4, 2024.

According to the prosecution, the accused wrongfully restrained the woman by forcing her to take a wrong route (Section 341...