The special court for Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) has sentenced a 58-year-old retired police constable to five years in jail for molesting a 13-year-old girl while he was posted at the General Hospital in Mulund. Sharad Hande retired pending trial since 2017.
Victim Assaulted By Retired Constable
On October 19, 2017, the victim accompanied her mother to the hospital for first aid after the latter was injured in an assault by their neighbour, who burst firecrackers outside their house. At the hospital, the mother saw ‘police kaksha’ (police room), manned by Hande, and decided to lodge a case against the neighbour. However, she was directed to the Bhandup police station.
Allegations Of Inappropriate Behavior Lead To Immediate Arrest of Hande
While leaving, the woman requested Hande to let her daughter stay for a while so she could use the washroom. It was 4.45am by the time the two could leave. The moment they left, the child started crying, saying that Hande had twice touched her inappropriately while going out of the room. She also said that he threatened her to not disclose it to her mother, who then returned to the hospital and reported the matter to the medical officer. The doctor called the police and a case was registered against Hande, who was arrested immediately.
Evidence and Circumstances Support Verdict in Alleged Inappropriate Touching Case
The court relied on the testimonies of the victim and her mother, which were corroborated by doctors, watchman of the hospital and other witnesses who saw the duo at the hospital and also the CCTV footage.
Hande, however, alleged that the woman telephoned him a day later and demanded Rs5 lakh to settle the case. The court held that the defence failed to prove that the person calling was indeed the woman.
The court also referred to the setting of the room and noted that the accused could have easily touched the victim while passing through a 3ft wide passage between the police table and the waiting bench. It also held that there was no time lag between the girl informing her mother and the latter complaining to the medical officer.
