Court Sentences Priest For Assault On Foreign Tourists

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On Monday, The Court of Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) sentenced Kundan Mahapatra, a priest at Lingaraj temple, to 18 months in prison.

Assault On Foreign Tourists By A Priest || The Court sentenced the Sevayat

Bhubaneswar: On 18th March: A court in the Odisha capital sentenced a ‘sevayat’ (priest) of Shree Lingaraj Temple to 18 months of imprisonment for sexually harassing a woman foreign tourist.

Background

The incident occurred on February 19, when Mahapatra, purportedly molested a 28-year-old tourist from Sweden outside the Lingaraj temple, where she had employed him as a guide. Following his arrest the next day, Mahapatra has remained in judicial custody. Notably, the chargesheet against him was submitted to the court of the judicial magistrate first class-1 within the jurisdiction.

The police filed the charge sheet in just four days (February 23) and the trial began on February 26.

“We accorded top priority to the sensitive case and completed the investigation quickly. Prosecution lawyer substantiated the charges in coğurt, leading to the conviction. Kudos to the investigating officer, and the prosecuting team of Lingaraj police station for accomplishing success in the criminal justice system in just 28 days,” said commissioner of police Sanjeeb Panda

Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Prateek Singh emphasized the significance of this speedy trial in deterring criminal behavior and bolstering tourists’ confidence in the efficiency of the justice system.

Notably, Mahapatra had previously been arrested on July 9, 2023, for similar offenses involving a domestic tourist near the Lingaraj temple. In light of this, authorities have initiated proceedings to prohibit him from providing any further services at the temple.