Thane court sentences man to 20 years RI for sexually assault of 6-year-old girl
Thane court sentences man to 20 years RI for sexually assault of 6-year-old girl
Thane, A special court in Maharashtra's Thane district sentenced a man to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment for aggravated sexual assault of a six-year-old girl.
Special judge D S Deshmukh found the 38-year-old accused, a resident of Bhayandar, guilty of charges under sections 376 and 376 of the Indian Penal Code and relevant provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act.
A copy of the order passed last week was made available on Tuesday.
Public prosecutor Rekha Hiwrale said the incident occurred on February 11, 2021, in Bhayander.
The victim's mother discovered her daughter was missing when she returned home from work and was informed that the accused, their neighbour, had taken her out for a snack.
The girl was found in the accused's house with two notes of ₹10 in her hand. She later told her mother that the accused had given her money, removed her pants and touched her inappropriately.
A complaint was lodged against the accused, who was arrested the next day.
The court, in the order, stated, "The act of sexual assault on the child is to be viewed seriously, and such offences are to be dealt with in a stringent manner."
The judge acknowledged the accused's plea for leniency, citing his prolonged detention since 2021 and his family's dependence on him.
"The accused submitted that he is now 38 years old. For the last more than four years, he has been in jail. He is the only earning member of the family. He has elderly parents, a wife and children. These facts have to be taken into consideration at the time of awarding the sentence to the accused," he said.
He, however, cited the statutory mandate of the POCSO Act and sentenced the accused to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of ₹10,000, with an additional three months of simple imprisonment in case of default.
The judge ordered that the time that the accused has spent in jail since his arrest be taken into account for his sentence.
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
