Odisha: Ex-headmaster gets 10 years' rigorous imprisonment for sexually assaulting 11

ROURKELA: A special Pocso court in Sundargarh district on Wednesday sentenced the former headmaster of a government school to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment for sexually assaulting 11 girl students.
The judge also imposed a fine of Rs 47,000 on convict Debanand Patel (62). He also directed the district legal services authority to pay a total of Rs 28 lakh compensation to the 11 victims. If he fails to pay the fine, the convict will have to undergo imprisonment for another six months.
The judge pronounced his judgment, convicting the accused for 12 offences under the IPC and 2 under section 6 of the Pocso Act, after hearing 43 witnesses.
According to the complaint filed on November 30, 2015, by the father of a victim who was 10 years old then, the headmaster was calling his daughter during recess to his office and sexually assaulting her. He was also committing the crime with many other girls. After his daughter informed another teacher and school managing committee chairman about her ordeal, no action was taken, the complainant said. Subsequently, the girl informed her mother who told her husband.