Udupi: The Udupi District Sessions Court on Thursday awarded life imprisonment to the accused in a Dalit girl rape case that took place three years back in the limits of Karkala rural police station.

The accused Pradeep Pujari (30), a resident of Kairabettu in Kalya taluk, had raped an 18-year-old Dalit girl on September 10, 2014.

The next day, Karkala police had arrested Pradeep under article 376, 323, 506 and IPC sections 3(1), (12).

Another attempt of sexual assault on the same day

The accused Pradeep Pujari had made a rape attempt on another girl on the same day. In this regard, a case was registered against him under POSCO act. Only after a few minutes of raping the Dalit girl, Pradeep Pujari caught hold a 17-year-old girl, returning from school, and allegedly proposed her. When she refused, Pradeep slapped her. Anyhow the girl escaped.

In this regard, a case was registered at Karkala rural police station, and now it is in court.

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New Delhi  (PTI): A Private Member's Bill seeking a clear legal framework for regulation of deepfakes has been introduced in the Lok Sabha.

The Regulation of Deepfake Bill, introduced by Shiv Sena leader Shrikant Shinde in the House on Friday, aims to protect citizens by mandating prior consent from individuals depicted in deepfake content.

"Misuse of deepfakes for harassment, deception and misinformation has escalated, creating an urgent need for regulatory safeguards," Shinde said.

The Bill also lists penalties for offenders creating or disseminating deepfake content with malicious intent.

"With advancements in artificial intelligence and deep learning, deepfake technology has emerged as a significant tool for media manipulation. While the technology has potential applications in education, entertainment and creative fields, it also poses severe risks when misused, threatening individual privacy, national security and public trust," Shinde said in the statement of objects and reasons in the Bill.

The proposed Bill seeks to establish a clear legal framework to govern the creation, distribution and application of deepfakes in India, said Shinde, a three-term Lok Sabha member from Kalyan.

The Bill also seeks to establish the Deepfake Task Force, a dedicated body to combat national security implications and evaluate the influence of deepfakes on privacy, civic participation, and potential election interference.

The task force will collaborate with academic and private sector institutions to develop technologies that detect manipulated content, thereby promoting credibility in digital media.

The Bill also proposes to establish a fund to support public and private sector initiatives in the detection and deterrence of advanced image manipulation.

A Private Member's Bill is a procedure of Parliament that enables lawmakers, who are not ministers, to draw attention to issues that might not be represented in Government Bills or to highlight the issues and gaps in the existing legal framework that require legislative intervention.