Mumbai: Observing that the victim was six-years-old at the time of the incident and the man had sexually assaulted her when she had been to his house to play with his granddaughter, a special court sentenced a man to five-years of rigorous imprisonment.
Refusing to show much leniency to him, special judge Bharti Kale under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act said in her judgment that such instances create fear in the mind of children as well as parents about their (children’s) safety and security.
The victim had deposed before the court and told it that she had been to her friend’s house to play and the man, her grandfather, had bitten her on her private part by lifting her top. She said further that he had given a mobile to her friend to play with, at that time.
The incident had come to light when the maternal aunt of the child was bathing her. She noticed a bite mark on the child’s nipple, but the child did not reveal anything when asked. The aunt had then asked her friend and she had told the aunt that her grandfather had bitten the victim. The friend had not testified before the court, but had given her statement before a magistrate after the FIR was lodged. In the statement, she had taken the name of her grandfather. The special court considered this while deciding the case.
Judge Kale also imposed a total fine of Rs. 15,000 on the man and directed that of it, Rs. 10,000 be paid as compensation to the child. The man had been in prison since Nov 2019. His sentence will be deducted for the time he has already undergone.
