Mumbai: Sr officer gets only two months in jail for molesting woman cop

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The JMFC court in Thane on Tuesday convicted an inspector for allegedly molesting a woman constable when he was working at the Kapurbawdi police station. While the case goes back to 2009, the complainant's family is unhappy with the punishment awarded to the accused, which is only two months in jail.

The court convicted inspector Masaji Kale and sentenced him to two months in prison and fined him in Rs 10,000 for the crime he committed in 2009, when he was an assistant police inspector. The constable had told the court that Kale had demanded sexual favours from her several times for months when they were working together, which she'd repeatedly declined.

Whenever she rejected his advances, he allegedly verbally abused her in front of everyone and tortured her at work. One day, he even followed her to the terrace of the police station and tried to touch her inappropriately. She told him she doesn't like it and ran from the spot. Later, he started marking her as absent and misinformed seniors about her as well.

The woman complained about the harassment to the Bombay High Court after senior police officials allegedly didn't pay any heed to her. An FIR was filed on HC's instructions under section 509 and 354 of the Indian Penal Code. The court did not find Kale guilty under section 354 but did find evidence against him under section 509.

One of the complainant's colleagues, a policewoman, said, "We were expecting some serious punishment for him. We have seen that woman suffer all of these years. It is a very unfortunate conviction."

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