Nashik: Principal Gets Life Term for Sexually Assaulting 13-Year-Old Student; Teacher Jailed And Fined

Nashik: In a case involving the sexual assault of a 13-year-old minor student by the principal of a school in Taked Budruk, Igatpuri taluka, Additional District and Sessions Judge P.V. Ghule has sentenced the principal, Tukaram Govind Sable (aged 53), to life imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 2 lakh. Similarly, the class teacher, Gorakhnath Maruti Joshi (aged 43), has been sentenced to 6 months of imprisonment and fined Rs 68,000.

In this incident, which occurred on February 7, 2025, Principal Sable, with the assistance of class teacher Joshi, sexually exploited the minor girl. The teacher's role included facilitating the principal's request and not acting to protect the student after learning of the incident. Both accused were convicted thanks to the exemplary investigation conducted by Vinod Patil, the then Inspector of the Ghoti Police Station, who handled the inquiry into the incident. Advocate Leena Chavan served as the Public Prosecutor in this case.

While conducting a mathematics class at the school in Taked Budruk, class teacher Gorakhnath Joshi received a phone call from Principal Tukaram Sable. Without verifying the information, Joshi told the 13-year-old girl, "Your grandmother has come to Sable Sir's house; Sir has called for you." After the girl left the school premises and went to Sable's residence, the principal sexually exploited her. Although the girl returned to the school and recounted the entire ordeal to the teacher, he failed to take any cognisance of the matter and did not assist her in filing a complaint.

Additional District and Sessions Judge PV Ghule found both accused guilty. Headmaster Tukaram Sable was sentenced to life imprisonment and a fine of Rs 2 lakh under Section 64(2)(f) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Sections 4 and 6 of the POCSO Act; to 7 years of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs 25,000 under Section 10 of the POCSO Act; and to 5 years of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs 25,000 under Section 8 of the POCSO Act. Class teacher Gorakhnath Joshi was sentenced to 6 months of imprisonment and a fine of Rs 68,000 under Section 21 of the POCSO Act.