Court rejects bail plea of juice vendor booked under POCSO Act

A POCSO court in Mumbai rejected the bail plea of a 23-year-old juice vendor accused of impregnating a minor girl who used to buy juice from him.

Mumbai: A special POCSO court rejected the bail plea of a 23-year-old juice vendor who was booked for impregnating a minor girl. According to the prosecution case, the girl was preparing for her HSC examination. For which she attended a night college. While returning from her college, she used to have juice from his stall.

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In March, this year, the man allegedly spiked her juice and later asked her to follow him to the Parel railway station ticket counter. The accused later took her to an isolated place under the Elphinstone Bridge and asked her to lie down. The girl claimed that the accused later sexually assaulted her and left. The girl reached home and did not disclose the incident to anyone out of fear.

The prosecution claimed when the girl started feeling giddiness and body pain, her mother took her to hospital. The medical check revealed that the girl was pregnant. Later, upon being confronted by the parents, the girl disclosed the incident. A case was later registered at the Bhoiwada police station.

The police arrested the accused on May 1. While seeking bail, the accused claimed that he had not committed any such act. He pleaded that he is just 23 years old and earning his livelihood by selling juice on the roadside.

The court rejected his defence and observed that he got familiar with the girl who was buying juice from him every day.

“He has taken disadvantage of this little familiarity and committed the heinous offence on the footpath in the dark. The girl was attending night college and was therefore required to go home after 9.00pm. The accused has taken disadvantage of her when she was walking home from night college,” the court said while rejecting his bail plea.