70-year-old man gets three years in prison in Pocso case

Nashik: District and additional sessions court judge Kalpana Patil on Tuesday sentenced a 70-year-old man from Pathardi, under the Indiranagar police station jurisdiction, to three-year imprisonment after finding him guilty under relevant sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act and the Indian Penal Code in a case of molesting an underage girl.

Judge Patil also imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 and kept a provision for an additional jail term of three months to the convict if he fails to pay the fine.

Special public prosecutor Sulabha Sangle said the man was found guilty under sections 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 354(A) (sexual harassment and punishment for sexual harassment) of the IPC and section 8 (punishment for sexual assault) of the POCSO Act.

The 70-year-old had molested a 12-year-old girl whose family stayed on his property on rent.

On Oct 20, 2021, the girl had returned home from school when the man called her to his room to help switch on the television. When the victim was switching on the television, the landlord shut the door, pulled her to him and molested her. The girl shouted and started calling her mother, and subsequently managed to get away.

The man threatened the girl with dire consequences if she told her mother. However, the girl informed her mother, after which a complaint was registered and the man was arrested. He was later granted bail in view of his health condition.

The case was investigated by assistant inspector N A Sayyad, then attached to the Indiranagar police station.