(1.) Leave granted.
(2.) The present eal challenges the final judgment and order dtd. 8/7/2024 in Crl.A. No. 38/2023 passed by the High Court of Meghalaya at Shillong, whereby the High Court upheld the conviction of the appellant by Special Judge (POCSO) vide judgment and order dtd. 16/6/2021 in Special (POCSO) Case No. 9/2020 for the offences under Ss. 506 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860 [For short, 'IPC'] and Sec. 3(a) of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 [For short, 'POCSO Act'] punishable under Sec. 4 of the POCSO Act. The appellant was sentenced to rigorous imprisonment of twenty years with a fine of Rs.5,000.00, in default to undergo six months simple imprisonment under Sec. 4 of the POCSO Act and rigorous imprisonment of two years for offence under Sec. 506 of the IPC.
(3.) On 27/11/2019, the informant Lainehskhem Sutnga (P.W.-2) of Sutnga village, Wallong, East Jaintia Hills, lodged an FIR to the effect that on 26/11/2019 her daughter (victim/prosecutrix) 13 years of age was raped at Mokoidaling, Sutnga by the accused Pynchemalangaki Bareh, a resident of Sutnga village, Wallong, who is the appellant before us.