Additional District and Sessions Judge, Fast Track Sessions Court-1, Mangaluru, Savithri V. Bhat, sentenced Dinesh Shetty, 38, of Kemral Village to 10 years imprisonment and imposed fine of ₹50,000 on finding him guilty for aggravated penetrative sexual assault of a minor girl.
The judge also sentenced Shetty to seven years and imposed a fine of ₹5,000 for the offence punishable under Section 376 (rape) of Indian Penal Code. Both sentences will run concurrently. Out of the total fine amount, ₹45,000 will be paid to the victim after completion of the appeal period, the judge said.
According to the chargesheet, Shetty, a labourer, sexually assaulted a minor girl from the same village on December 23, 2018. He again raped her on January 6, 2019. The parents came to know about the sexual assault when the girl was diagnosed at a hospital that she was two months pregnant. Following a complaint, the then Mulky Inspector Anantha Padmanabha arrested the accused. A chargesheet was filed by the then Inspector P. Siddaraju.
Special Public Prosecutor Venkataramana Swamy examined 15 witnesses, including the expert who did the DNA test of the child, which revealed that Shetty was the biological father.
