Man gets 3 years in jail for forcibly hugging, kissing minor girl

A man has been sentenced to three years in prison for forcibly hugging and kissing a minor girl. The court rejected his claim that they were in a relationship.

MUMBAI: A special court, set up under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, on Friday sentenced a 21-year-old man to three years in prison for forcibly hugging a minor girl and kissing her on cheek.

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The accused claimed that the two were in a relationship and would often go out and take pictures together. The girl, however, said they were just friends.

While holding the man guilty of sexual harassment, the court said the accused, a major, must take care and not indulge in sexual activities with minor girls.

According to the prosecution, the incident took place on March 18, 2018, when the girl was alone at home as her parents had gone out for work and her grandmother had gone to attend a society meeting. The girl was 16-year-old at the time of the incident.

The girl claimed that when no one was at home, the accused, a Pydhonie resident, rang the doorbell and when she opened the door, he forcibly entered the house.

She further claimed that the accused hugged her, kissed her and gagged her mouth. In the meantime, the doorbell rang again. Out of fear, the man hid himself on the mezzanine floor of the house, she said.

When the girl opened the door and saw her grandmother, she started crying and narrated the incident. The grandmother caught hold of the accused and called the police. The accused was arrested and booked for sexually harassing the girl.

The accused in his defence claimed that they were in a relationship. He also presented their photographs together when they had gone out. Besides, the accused also said that it was the girl who had called him to her house when no one was home. He also claimed that relations between him and the girl were good even after lodging the case and he would often meet her at their new residence as well.

Rejecting his claims and holding him guilty of sexual harassment, the court said, “Considering the fact that the girl was minor, the defence raised by the accused that he was in friendly relations with the girl and she used to go outside with him and also that he was invited by her, is not at all helpful to him.”

“The accused who was a major and having sufficient maturity, must stay away from the minor girl and not involve in any physical/sexual act with her. Even if the said photographs have been considered, it is not at all sufficient to discard the prosecution case, as the girl was a minor at the time of incident,” the court said.