Bus Driver Sentenced to 20-year Rigorous Imprisonment for Sexually Assaulting a Minor
Mangaluru: The Additional district and sessions judge FTSC-II (Pocso) KM Radhakrishna on Monday sentenced a 30-year-old private bus driver to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment (RI) and slapped a fine of Rs 50,000 on him, for sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl. The convict is Dayananda Danannavar alias Dayananda,30, from Kavoor Marakada.
Providing details of the case, special public prosecutor Venkataramana Swamy said that the accused befriended the 13-year-old survivor through Instagram, and they began chatting. On 27 January 2022, he called her over the phone and invited her to come along with him. However, the girl refused. He managed to convince her to come along with him the next day. She arrived near a bus stand, where he was waiting for her. He then took her in an autorickshaw to a lodge in Hampankatta, Mangaluru. He took her to a room in the lodge, and when she asked him as to why she was brought there, he sexually assaulted her and left her back near her house. He allegedly threatened her, not to reveal anything to anyone.
However, the survivor’s parents came to know about the incident and approached the police the next day. A case was registered at the women’s police station. After an investigation was conducted, a charge sheet was filed on May 22. Inspectors SH Bhajantri and Revati investigated the case.
The accused was sentenced to 20 years of RI under the Pocso Act and will pay a fine of Rs 50,000. In case he fails to pay the fine, he will undergo an additional four months of RI. The court also awarded the survivor compensation of Rs 3 lakh and directed that Rs 1 lakh be given immediately towards her education expense, and the remaining Rs 2 lakh will be deposited in a nationalised bank, till she becomes an adult. Along with the medical evidence, the court examined nine witnesses, including the girl and the lodge owner.
