Pune News: 70-Year-Old Man Sentenced to 20 Years for Sexual Harassment of Schoolgirl
Pune News: 70-Year-Old Man Sentenced to 20 Years for Sexual Harassment of Schoolgirl
Pune: A 70-year-old retired government employee from Pune has been sentenced to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment and fined Rs 10,000 for sexually harassing a seven-year-old schoolgirl. Special Judge KP Kshirsagar delivered the sentence, following the case registered at the Vishrantwadi Police Station.
The incident took place on 31st October 2019, when the young girl went to play in a garden with her grandfather. The accused, who had brought his pet dog to the garden, lured the girl to a nearby construction site and sexually harassed her. Traumatized, the girl immediately informed her mother, leading to the arrest of the accused and the filing of a charge sheet.
Special Public Prosecutor Nitin Konghe represented the government in court. The testimony of ten witnesses, including the girl and medical officers, played a crucial role in the case. During a video link hearing, the girl identified the accused as “the uncle with the dog” and confirmed that he had harassed her.
The court ordered the Pune District Legal Services Authority to compensate the victim under Section 396 of the Protection of Civil Rights Act. Prosecutor Konghe stressed the severity of the crime, arguing that despite the accused’s advanced age, the crime’s impact on the victim’s physical and mental well-being warranted strict punishment without leniency.
In its judgment, the court observed that the accused had no prior enmity with the victim’s family, concluding that the family had no motive to falsely implicate him. The court also noted that the accused’s actions were driven by a deliberate intent to derive pleasure from the harassment.
The verdict underscores the seriousness of the crime and the necessity of severe punishment to deter such offenses, regardless of the accused’s age.
