By Our Correspondent
BHUBANESWAR:On June 1, 2026, the Special POCSO Court in Bhubaneswar convicted 55-year-old Surendra Dalai alias Okila in a case of repeated rape and aggravated sexual assault of a minor girl below the age of 12. The accused resides in Nuapatna (Parbal, Kumarvastu) village under Nachuni police station in Khurda district. The heinous crime took place in April 2023 (Nachuni police station case number 74/2023). The victim was forcibly dragged into the accused’s shop and raped and threatened to kill her if she told anyone about it. The fatal incident came to light a few months later when the victim started experiencing severe pain in her stomach and after a medical examination it was found that she was pregnant.
During the trial, the prosecution successfully presented evidence of the victim being a minor on the basis of the school attendance certificate. Hon’ble Judge Shri Subhanjan Mohanty accepted the victim as a ‘sterling witness’. The victim’s candid statement was clear and coherent and was also fully supported by the medical report. The court further observed that the defence had failed to establish the legal presumption of guilt required under Sections 29 and 30 of the POCSO Act, thus the complete denial of the accused was no longer acceptable.
Emphasizing that punishment should be given according to the gravity of the crime to reflect justice in the society, the Hon’ble Court has sentenced Surendra Dalai to 20 years of Rigorous Imprisonment and a fine of Rs. 20,000. In addition, the Court has ordered to pay a compensation of Rs. 6,0,000 (six lakhs) to the minor girl in view of the severe physical and mental trauma she has suffered. This compensation amount will be paid by the Khordha District Legal Services Authority (DLSA).
The case was tried by the Special Judge (POCSO) and Additional District and Sessions Judge, Bhubaneswar, Shri Subhanjan Mohanty. It was presented by the Special PP (POCSO), Bhubaneswar, Shri Subrata Priyadarshi and the Investigating Officer (IO) was former SI of Nachuni police station, Keshav Chandra Behera (who is currently working at Jankia police station).
