Thane man sentenced to three years for sexually harassing 13-year-old schoolgirl | Thane News

THANE: A Special Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Court on Wednesday sentenced a 51-year-old Mumbra resident to three years of rigorous imprisonment for sexually harassing a 13-year-old schoolgirl in 2019.
The judge, D R Deshmukh, while convicting the accused, pointed out that society should realise that such incidents are crimes and complaints should be made about such incidents. This will go a long way in providing protection to girls and creating awareness in society, and such convictions will be a deterrent to the miscreants.
The judge found Moij Hatim Rampurwala of all charges and imposed a fine of Rs 20,000.
According to Prosecutor Sandhya Mhatre, the incident occurred on July 5, 2019, around 7.30am, when the victim, then a ninth-grade student, was walking to school in Mumbra.
The accused followed the girl and inappropriately touched her. When she resisted and struck him with her umbrella, a 30-year-old woman who witnessed the incident came to her rescue.
The accused fled but was later apprehended at his residence by the victim, the woman witness, and the victim’s mother.Subsequently, the case was registered at the local police station and the accused was booked under various sections of indian penal code and POCSO act.
The prosecution examined four witnesses, including the victim and the woman who assisted her. Their consistent testimonies proved crucial in securing the conviction.
“The prosecution successfully proved all charges against the accused beyond reasonable doubt,” noted Judge Deshmukh in his order.
The court expressed concern over the rising incidents of crimes against minor girls.
The judge along with the sentencing also ordered that the fine amount be paid to the victim as compensation and directed that the case be referred to the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA) for additional compensation as per law.