The special POCSO court on Tuesday sentenced a 28-year-old school teacher from Govandi to five years of rigorous imprisonment for sexually harassing three girls in the fifth standard.
Court's observations
While sentencing the teacher the special court said, “The accused is not a layman but a teacher. The only career that influences other professions is teaching. Hence, the teacher is expected to act as a protector. Such heinous acts by the accused has casted a lifelong psychological and emotional impact on the victims.”
According to the prosecution, the complaint was filed by the mother of one victim, a student in the accused teacher's class. The incident, dated September 25, 2019, came to light when the elder sister of one victim, picking her up from school, engaged in a conversation with her friends. During this, the girls disclosed that the accused had been inappropriately touching them.
Upon confronting the victim, her elder sister confirmed the allegations. Subsequently, the parents approached the accused, but he was unavailable. They lodged a complaint with the Shivaji Nagar police station on September 26, 2019, when the accused provided evasive answers.
Victim recalls horror
The accused denied the allegations, citing a delay in filing the complaint and lack of medical evidence. However, the prosecution's key witness, one of the victims, testified that the accused had repeatedly touched her inappropriately in September 2019. The victim recounted the fear she experienced, leading to her absence from school for several days due to feigned illnesses.
Despite the defense's arguments, the court rejected the notion of delay in filing the complaint. It reasoned that the victims, all below 12 years old, chose to stay home for safety after the traumatic incidents, and their disclosure happened when they felt secure discussing it with family members.
The court dismissed suggestions of false implication, stating, “The victims' testimony, corroborated by other witnesses, holds firm. No probability is brought on record to falsely implicate the accused.”
