Neemuch: A special court for POCSO cases awarded 13 years rigorous imprisonment to a 80-year old man for molesting a hearing and speech impaired minor girl.
The special session judge (POCSO Act) Vivek Kumar handed down the sentence and also slapped fine of Rs 15000 on the convict. Special public prosecutor Jagdish Chouhan informed that during a programme on October 19, 2019 , the man Girdharilal Meghwal called the seven-year-old minor and molested her. Since the child was mute and deaf she failed to raise alarm. However, the incident was caught on the mobile camera, which the girl’s younger was playing with. Later when the girl’s family members came to know about the incident, they approached police and lodged a complaint next day.
With video clip as strong evidence, the police booked the accused under Section 354 (criminal force to any woman) of Indian Penal Code as well as under relevant sections of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act 2012 and Divyang Act.
As police produced accused before court, the special court in Neemuch put the the case under rarest of rare case category. The charge sheet in the case was submitted within 19-day of the incident.
During the trial, the victim described before court her ordeal in sign language. On the basis of the minor’s statement, and the video of the act, the judge held the octogenarian guilty of molesting the girl, informed special public prosecutor Jagdish Chouhan. The court by giving judgment in the case within less than three months has sent set an example before the society, Chouhan added. The minor is currently studying at a school meant for special kids in Neemuch.
