Thane court, on survivor's deposition, sentences man to 20 yrs RI for raping 6-year-old

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A court in Thane district sentenced a man to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment (RI) for allegedly raping a six-year-old girl in 2021. As per a report in PTI, the accused was sentenced based on the survivor's declaration and the testimony of other prosecution witnesses.

According to the report, the decision was given on Wednesday by Special POCSO court judge DS Deshmukh, who imposed a Rs 5,000 punishment on the 47-year-old offender, Pandurang Shelar of a village in Thane's Diva district.

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The judge ordered that the fine be paid to the survivor as compensation and referred the case to the District Legal Service Authority (DLSA) for extra compensation under legal regulations, the report added.

According to the report, Police havildar Vidyasagar Koli, who supported the prosecution, noted that the survivor's deposition, now at the age of six, was critical in establishing the accused's guilt beyond reasonable doubt. The court heard six prosecution witnesses, with the survivor's testimony being critical in gaining the conviction.

The prosecution said that the accused, who is the survivor's neighbour, lured her into his home on January 8, 2021, while she was playing outside, and then raped her. He then warned her of grave consequences if she did not remain silent about the incident.

In his decision, the judge remarked that the prosecution had successfully proven all accusations against the accused, resulting in his conviction under several sections of the Indian Penal Code, the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, the PTI report added.

Meanwhile, in another case, an attendant for a private bus has been arrested for allegedly molesting students of a private school in Thane during an excursion.

According to the PTI report, the 27-year-old accused allegedly sexually harassed students while they were returning to Thane in the private bus after their outing to a theme park in Ghatkopar. The accused allegedly molested the students under the pretence of serving them snacks and beverages.

A case was registered against him by the parents at the Kapurbawdi police station. He was booked under Sections 354 (assault or use of criminal force to any woman), and 354A (sexual harassment) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) along with provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and subsequently arrested.

Meanwhile, a mid-day report quoted the parents saying that their children recounting that the attendant touched them inappropriately in the backseat of the bus despite three teachers and a female attendant being present on the same bus.

With PTI inputs