Bhubaneswar, Feb. 6 -- In a major development in the sensational Pari rape and murder case, the Nayagarh Children's Court on Tuesday sentenced the prime accused to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment. The Court has also imposed a fine of Rs 6000 on the accused who is a minor. He was arrested by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted by the Odisha government after the incident had created public outrage in the state.

As there were no eyewitnesses in the case, the Court gave the verdict after going through the circumstantial evidence and examination of over 31 witnesses.

Public prosecutor Chitaranjan Kanungo said, "The case could not be detected as the girl went missing on July 14 and her body was recovered some nine days after. A...