Maharashtra: Thane court sentences man to three years in jail for molesting 7-year-old girl

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A special court in Thane has sentenced a 52-year-old man to rigorous imprisonment for three years for molesting a 7-year-old girl in Bhiwandi town of Maharashtra in 2020.

Special judge for the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act court, V V Virkar, convicted the accused Chananmal Jain on December 26. The judge also imposed a fine of Rs 1,000 on Jain.

A copy of the order was made available on Tuesday.

During the trial, Special Public Prosecutor Rekha Hiwrale told the court the accused molested the girl during "bhandara" or a communal meal organised at a hall in the powerloom town on January 17, 2020, under the pretext of offering her chocolates.

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After the mother raised an alarm, Jain hid in a toilet. He was pulled out by other people present in the hall and handed over to the police.

The judge noted the accused pleaded guilty to the offence and repented of the act.

"But the aspect also cannot be ignored that the prosecutrix was a girl of 7-year-old and the accused was aged more than 50 years and had committed such heinous crime regarding the said girl," the court noted.

Rejecting Jain's submission that he be punished for the time he has already spent behind bars, Judge Virkar sentenced him under section 8 of the POCSO Act which provides for a minimum punishment of three years.

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