In the Odisha capital, a court handed down an 18-month prison sentence to a'sevayat' (priest) of Shree Lingaraj Temple for sexually harassing a female foreign tourist.

The judgment was swiftly delivered by the court of the Judicial Magistrate, first class, within four weeks of the incident. Kundan Mahapatra, the perpetrator, subjected a Swedish tourist to sexual harassment on February 19 while she was exploring the vicinity of the 11th-century Lingaraj Temple unaccompanied.

After the incident, the victim promptly lodged a complaint with the police, leading to the immediate arrest of the priest on the same day. Subsequently, within a remarkably short span of four days, the police filed the charge sheet on February 23, swiftly initiating legal proceedings. The trial commenced on February 26, demonstrating a prompt response from law enforcement authorities.