Kannauj (UP) (PTI): A court here has sentenced a 50-year-old man to 26 years of rigorous imprisonment for abducting and raping a three-year-old girl in a village here around two years ago, officials said on Saturday.

The court also imposed a fine of Rs 50,500 on the convict Rajesh Jatav, government advocate Naveen Kumar Dubey said.

Dubey said a complaint against Rajesh Jatav alias Mahatma (50) alleged that on the evening of December 2, 2021, he had abducted the three-year-old girl, held her hostage in a house nearby, and raped her.

Once the condition of the victim deteriorated, Jatav fled the house. The girl's family members later reached the place and rescued her and took her to a hospital, the government advocate said.

Based on the medical report of the girl and other evidence, Special Judge (POCSO) Alka Yadav on Friday held Jatav guilty and sentenced him to 26 years of rigorous imprisonment, he added.

The court also imposed a fine of Rs 50,500 on him and ordered that in case of non-payment of the fine, Jatav would have to serve an additional punishment of two years, Dubey said.

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Karwar (Karnataka) (PTI): Not willing to make any direct statement on whether there will be a chief minister change in the state, Karnataka Deputy CM D K Shivakumar on Friday said that he and CM Siddaramaiah have come to an agreement with the involvement of the Congress high command, and both of them will abide by it.

Stating that Siddaramaiah is CM as per the high command's decision, he clarified that he has never made any comments on the former's tenure.

Siddaramaiah, earlier in the day, had affirmed that he would remain in office for his full five-year term, expressing confidence in the Congress high command's support.

During a discussion in the Assembly on the issues pertaining to North Karnataka's development, Siddaramaiah also said he never mentioned that he was the chief minister for only two-and-a-half years.

"I had never said, he (Siddaramaiah) will not be there (as CM) for five years. I have never said that the high command is not with him. As the high command is with him, he is chief minister today," Shivakumar told reporters here.

Noting that Siddaramaiah is in the post of CM as per the decision of the party, he said, "Both of us have come to an agreement, the high command has got us to an understanding, as per that both of us have discussed and have said several times that we will abide by it and go ahead."

Shivakumar, however, chose not to answer a question, whether there will be a change in the chief minister post or not.

To a question on talks about CM change, he said, "It is you (media) who is talking about it, there is no discussion among us. We will abide by what the party says."

The Deputy CM was on a visit to various temples in the Uttara Kannada district on Friday.

To a question linking his visit to the goddess Jagadeeshwari temple in Uttara Kannada district's Ankola, to his chief ministerial ambitions, Shivakumar said, "I don't want to talk about it, it is between me and the mother goddess. It is between the devotee and the deity. What I have prayed to the goddess and what she told me is between us."

He said, five years ago he had come to the temple regarding some issue concerning his family and his wish was fulfilled. "So I'm visiting the temple as a mark of gratitude and to seek blessings for me, the state and the people who believe in me. I'm going back happily."