The Additional District and Sessions (Special) FTSC-1 Court in Kalaburagi has sentenced a 45-year-old man to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment for repeatedly raping his minor stepdaughter.The court also imposed a fine of ₹25,000 on the convict.The convict has been identified as Harishchandra, a resident of Ambedkar Ashraya Colony opposite Ranesh Peer Dargah in Kalaburagi. He worked as a daily wage worker.According to the case presented by Special Public Prosecutor Shanthaveera B. Thuppad, the victim’s mother used to travel to different towns for business and would often return home late.Taking advantage of her absence, Harishchandra would approach the 13-year-old minor girl when no one else was at home, force himself upon her and sexually assault her. Despite the victim protesting and expressing her distress, the convict assaulted her five or six times under intimidation.“The matter came to light on the night of June 14, 2025 when the victim’s mother found Harishchandra and her daughter in a compromising position. When questioned by her mother, the minor girl revealed that Harishchandra had been repeatedly raping her when her mother was away or asleep late at night,” Mr. Tuppad said and added that the convict had threatened to beat and kill both the victim and her mother if these assaults were ever disclosed to anyone.Following a complaint by the victim’s mother, a case was registered at Suburban Police Station and a detailed investigation was carried out by Police Inspector Santosh L. Tattepalli, who, upon completion of the investigation, filed a charge-sheet in the court under Section 64(2)(m) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) along with Sections 4, 6, and 8 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.Police personnel, including constables Prabhuraj and Brahmanand and Head Constable Amruthrao, ensured the timely production of witnesses during the trial.Mr. Thuppad argued the case on behalf of the government. After hearing both sides and examining witnesses and evidence, presiding judge S.L. Chavan found the accused guilty under Section 6 of the POCSO Act and various sections of BNS and sentenced him to 20 years rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of ₹25,000 on him.The court said that the convict’s failure to pay the fine will result in an additional six months of simple imprisonment.The judge also directed the Legal Services Authority to provide ₹5,00,000 as victim compensation to the minor girl. The court mandated that this compensation amount must be disbursed to the victim within a period of one month from the date of the judgment. Published - June 18, 2026 09:23 pm IST