The Court of the Senior Civil Judge (Women’s Court)-cum-JMFC, Jharsuguda, on June 26, 2026—though the order copy was made available on Friday—found the accused guilty under Sections 341, 323, 354, and 355 read with Section 34 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). They were, however, acquitted of charges under Section 294 IPC.
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The court imposed a fine of Rs 1,000 each on the convicts instead of a custodial sentence. All the accused, aged between their 30s and 70s, were present in court during the pronouncement of the judgment and are currently out on bail.
According to the prosecution, the incident took place on March 28, 2003, when the accused allegedly entered the house of a couple under Laikera police limits following a previous dispute and subjected them to assault and public humiliation.
The victims were allegedly stripped, garlanded with footwear, and forced to walk through the village with their faces blackened in broad daylight. A complaint was lodged the same day, following which Laikera police registered an FIR on March 30, 2003.
