Overview

• On June 5, 2025, a Bhubaneswar POCSO court sentenced Sanatan Nayak to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment for raping a 15-year-old girl in March 2022.
• The court imposed a ₹5,000 fine on Nayak and directed the District Legal Services Authority, Khurda, to pay the survivor ₹4 lakh in compensation.
• The judgment followed the examination of 11 witnesses and review of 57 documents presented during the trial.
• Police rescued the survivor after her family lodged a kidnapping complaint at the Airport police station, leading to Nayak’s arrest under the IPC and POCSO Act.
• The case underscores a broader national push for expedited POCSO trials and greater emphasis on survivor rehabilitation through compensation.