Udupi: Man gets 10-year jail term for sexually harassing minor
Udupi, May 13: A fast track special court (FTSC) for POCSO cases coming under Udupi district additional and sessions court has sentenced a man to 10 years imprisonment for sexually harassing a six-year old girl.
The verdict was delivered by Judge Ermalu Kalpana.
The court imposed a fine of Rs 20,000 on the convicted person, identified as Santhosh K (35).
Of the fine amount, Rs 15,000 was directed to be handed over to the victim and the remaining Rs 5,000 to the government.
The court also ordered the payment of Rs One lakh by the legal services authority as compensation to the victim.
Santhosh was the owner of the house where the minor and her parents lived as tenants.
The incident occurred in February 2019 in Karkala police station limits.
Karkala police, who investigated the case, had submitted the charge sheet to the court.
In all, ten witnesses were questioned in the court.
The special public prosecutor of Udupi POCSO court Y T Raghavendra appeared for the prosecution.
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Lebanon appoints new representative for talks with Israel, rejects linkage to Iran
Beirut: Lebanon’s has moved to underline its independent position in ongoing regional developments, amid attempts to link the country to the broader conflict involving Iran, the United States and Israel.
President Joseph Aoun, while announcing the appointment of former US ambassador Simon Karam as Lebanon’s representative in talks with Israel, made it clear that Karam would be the sole representative for Lebanon and that there would be no substitute.
The move comes in response to what the Lebanese officials see as efforts by Iran to tie Lebanon’s situation to the wider regional conflict. Iran had indicated that there would be no ceasefire involving the US, Israel and Iran unless it also included a ceasefire in Lebanon.
Some groups, including Hezbollah and its supporters, had expressed support for linking the situations, citing concerns that the Lebanese government has limited leverage in negotiations with Israel. Lebanon is not formally a party to the conflict, and its army is considered weak.
However, others, including Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, have opposed this approach. They view Iran’s stance as an attempt to influence Lebanon’s internal affairs and see it as undermining the country’s sovereignty.
Officials backing the government’s position say the move is aimed at reaffirming Lebanon’s sovereignty and ensuring that decisions about peace and ceasefire within the country are not dictated externally.
They also see it as a safeguard, so that any breakdown in talks between the US, Israel and Iran does not automatically lead to renewed conflict in Lebanon.
