Mumbai, Dec 19: A special court has sentenced a retired headmaster and a teacher to five years’ imprisonment for sexually harassing minor female students of a school for the deaf and aphasic in 2013.
Court Says School Is A Pious Institution
Special court judge Satyanarayan R Navander, while convicting the two, observed that a school is a “pious institution” where children trust teachers as guiding lights in life.
“When such trust is betrayed, and a godlike figure sexually tortures students, the trauma remains for life. Owing to the status enjoyed by teachers, parents initially did not believe the victims,” the court said.
No Leniency For Repeated Sexual Abuse
The court noted that when the illicit acts continued, the number of victims increased, and the assaults were repeated, the students gathered courage and approached law enforcement.
“For physically challenged students, it was not easy to approach the police and lodge a complaint. The very act of doing so reflects the gravity of the torture suffered. Hence, no extraordinary leniency can be shown,” the judge said, sentencing both to five years in prison and imposing a fine of Rs 25,000 each.
Case Based On Complaint By Deaf And Mute Student
The case stems from a complaint lodged by a 13-year-old student, deaf and mute by birth, who later gained limited hearing and speech with the help of hearing aids. She had been studying at the school since 2006, where Lordu Reddy was the principal and Dattkumar Patil a teacher.
Headmaster Allegedly Harassed Several Girl Students
The complainant alleged that Reddy would call girl students to his office and misbehave with them. After the school reopened on June 14, 2013, he allegedly hugged and kissed her on the cheek and repeated such acts thereafter. She further claimed that he similarly harassed other girls.
Victims Remained Silent Due To Fear
Out of fear of rustication, the victims initially did not disclose the incidents to their families, the girl stated.
Teacher Accused Of Showing Obscene Content
The complaint also accused Patil of sexually harassing minor students, particularly girls, by showing obscene photographs from newspapers and touching them inappropriately. The students would discuss these acts among themselves in whispers, the prosecution said.
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Parents Approached Police After Harassment Continued
In May 2014, Sangita Gala, then president of the Bombay Foundation of Deaf Women, convened a meeting of students and parents, where the allegations were discussed. It was alleged that the harassment continued even after the meeting, following which the parents approached the Dadar police station to register the case.
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