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Such incidents should be reported to police as it will help in creating an awareness in society and the convictions will serve as a deterrent to the offenders, the prosecution quoted special POCSO court judge DS Deshmukh as saying in the order passed on Wednesday
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A court in Maharashtra's Thane district has sentenced a 51-year-old man to three years' rigorous imprisonment for sexually harassing a minor girl in 2019, reported news agency PTI.
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Such incidents should be reported to police as it will help in creating an awareness in society and the convictions will serve as a deterrent to the offenders, the prosecution quoted special POCSO court judge DS Deshmukh as saying in the order passed on Wednesday.
Special Public Prosecutor Sandhya H Matre told the court that on July 5, 2019, the victim, then aged 13 and studying in Class 9, was on way to her school in Thane's Mumbra area when the accused, Moij Hatim Rampurwala, followed her and touched her inappropriately, reported PTI.
The girl resisted his advances, raised an alarm and hit the Thane man with an umbrella, following which a woman passing by rushed there and saved the victim, while the accused ran away.
The victim and the woman chased the Thane man to his house and later nabbed him, the prosecution said.
The girl and the woman subsequently approached the police and lodged a complaint against the Thane man following which he was arrested.
Judge Deshmukh on Wednesday pronounced the accused guilty on charges of sexual harassment and under provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, reported PTI.
The prosecutor quoted the judge as saying that these days, such crimes against minor girls are on the rise, but the victims seldom come forward to file complaint.
The society should realise that it is a crime and complaints should be made of such incidents, which will go a long way in giving protection to girls, creating awareness in the society and such convictions will be deterrent to the offenders, the judge said, reported PTI.
In the order, the court noted that the prosecution has successfully proved all charges against the accused beyond reasonable doubt, for which he needs to be convicted and sentenced.
The court also imposed a fine of Rs 20,000 on the accused.
The judge directed that once the amount is recovered from the accused, it should be paid to the victim as compensation, and the case be referred to the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA) for payment of additional compensation as per the law.
Four witnesses, including the victim and the woman who helped her, were examined to prove the charges against the accused, the prosecutor said.
(With inputs from PTI)
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