Bhubaneswar: A special POCSO court today sentenced a retired headmaster to three years of imprisonment for sexually harassing a girl student in Kalahandi district of Odisha in 2019.
The special POCSO Judge Subharanjan Mohanty also imposed a penalty of Rs 40,000 on convict Sarbeswar Mishra. Non-payment of the penalty amount would invite imprisonment for addition two months, said the judge.
The court also directed the authorities in Kalahandi to provide Rs 1.50 lakh compensation to the victim, said public prosecutor Rohit Mishra.
As per the case records, the Sarbeswar (63) had sexually harassed the schoolgirl during his tenure as the headmaster four years ago.
The victim’s father had lodged a complaint in this regard with Kesinga police.
The special POCSO judge convicted the former headmaster on the basis of the statements of the witnesses and other evidence, said the public prosecutor.
