Dahanu couple gets 1-yr jail, fined Rs50K for thrashing minor

The couple had assaulted the boy with lathis (wooden rods) mistaking him for a thief.

The Dahanu court has sentenced a couple to one year in jail and fined them Rs50,000 for beating up a minor boy who had taken refuge near their grocery store to escape the rain in August 2016.

The Dahanu court has sentenced a couple to one year in jail and fined them Rs50,000 for beating up a minor boy who had taken refuge near their grocery store to escape the rain in August 2016.

The couple had assaulted the boy with lathis (wooden rods) mistaking him for a thief.

The court added that if the accused failed to pay the fine, they would be forced to serve an additional six-months prison term.

On August 28, 2016, the boy had taken refuge near the grocery store owned by Ananta Nathu Shelka, 42, and his wife, Surekha, 38, in Shelkapada in Vikramgadh, Palghar.

“It was raining at the time and the boy was attempting to find a safe, dry spot near the couple’s shop. However, when the couple spotted him they thought he was a thief and assaulted him with lathis,” public posecutor RN Walvi told the court.

The victim’s parents later approached the Kasa police station and a case was registered under section 324 (assault) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).