Observing that a girl knows who is following her and who is just a passer-by, a special court refused to accept the contention of a 33-year-old that he was not following a 17-year-old returning from her tuition classes and that he was only returning from work. It sentenced him to two-years imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 5,000.
It said in its judgment, “The victim has categorically deposed that the accused was following her. It needs to be seen that a girl is aware of who is following her and who is just a passerby". Special judge Bharti Kale said further that the accused has not justified his reason for going after the victim everyday. His contention does not appear to be truthful, it said, that he was not following the victim but only going on the road in front of her building for his work.
Refusing to show leniency to him, the court said the victim was sexually harassed by the accused when she was pursuing her education. Such kind of acts, it stated, create a fear in the minds of children.
The man had been in custody since his arrest in November 2019. The court ordered that his sentence be deducted for the period he had already undergone in prison. Of the fine amount, it directed that Rs. 4,000 be given to the victim.
The court did not find him guilty of the charge of molesting the victim. The victim had deposed that the man had caught her hand when she was about to enter the building after following her when she was returning from her tuition classes. Judge Kale said she found it highly improbable that the man would have done that at the entrance of her own building when he was following her from her class.
