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NEW DELHI: A court in Maharashtra’s Thane district has sentenced a 51-year-old man to three years’ rigorous imprisonment for sexually harassing a minor girl in 2019.
The court’s special POCSO judge DS Deshmukh emphasised that reporting such incidents to authorities helps raise societal awareness and deters potential offenders through convictions, as stated in the order issued on Wednesday.
According to Special Public Prosecutor Sandhya H Matre, on July 5, 2019, a 13-year-old Class 9 student was walking to her school in Thane’s Mumbra area when Moij Hatim Rampurwala stalked and inappropriately touched her.
The student defended herself by shouting and striking him with her umbrella. A passing woman came to her aid, causing the perpetrator to flee.
The prosecution reported that both the student and the woman pursued the man to his residence and successfully apprehended him.
They subsequently filed a police report, leading to the man’s arrest.
On Wednesday, Judge Deshmukh found the accused guilty of sexual harassment and violations under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
The judge, as quoted by the prosecutor, noted the increasing frequency of crimes against young girls, whilst acknowledging that victims rarely report such incidents.
The judge stressed that society must recognise these acts as criminal offences, encouraging reporting to safeguard girls, increase public awareness, and ensure convictions serve as deterrents.
The court’s order confirmed that the prosecution successfully established all charges against the accused beyond reasonable doubt, warranting conviction and sentencing.
The accused received a Rs 20,000 fine from the court.
The judge ordered the fine, once collected, to be given to the victim as compensation, and directed the case to the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA) for additional compensation assessment.
The prosecutor confirmed that four witnesses, including the victim and her rescuer, provided testimony to establish the accused’s guilt.
(The victim’s identity has not been revealed to protect her privacy as per Supreme Court directives on cases related to sexual assault)
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