Navi Mumbai: Additional District and Sessions Judge P.A. Sane of Belapur has sentenced a man to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs 2,000 for sexually assaulting a minor girl in May 2023. The accused identified as Monal Ramesh Vaghela (26) has been in jail since May 2023.
Street vendor convicted of sexually assaulting minor girl in Juhugaon
Vaghela, who sells sarees on the street in Juhugaon area, had sexually assaulted the 17-year-old victim girl, a resident of Juhugaon in Vashi on May 24, 2023. At around 7.30 pm, while the girl was walking towards her friend's house, as she reached near the accused's house, he pulled her inside his house and allegedly raped her.
Case registered under POCSO Act and Section 376 of IPC
Following the incident, the victim's mother registered a case against the accused Vaghela under the POCSO along with rape. The police then arrested him.
Under the guidance of the then Senior Police Inspector of Vashi Police Station, Shashikant Chandekar, Assistant Police Inspector S.D. Marode had completed the investigation of the case and filed a chargesheet against the accused in the Belapur Sessions Court.
Eight witnesses, including victim and medical officer, proved vital in trial
During the hearing of this case, a total of eight witnesses were examined by the government. In this, the testimony of the victim girl, medical officer and investigating officer became important.
In this case, the arguments made by government prosecutors Yogendra Patil and Sandhya Mhatre and the available witness evidence were accepted by the Additional Sessions Judge, Belapur, P.A. Sane, who convicted the accused.
Vaghela sentenced to 10 years’ rigorous imprisonment and fined ₹2,000
On July 19, he was sentenced to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment under Section 376 and a fine of Rs 2,000 and another 3 months of hard labour in default of payment of the fine.
As per the order given by the court, since the accused has been in jail since May 25, 2023, he will get a relaxation in the sentence. He has also been directed to pay Rs 1500 thousand of the fine amount as compensation to the victim girl and deposit the remaining Rs 500 with the government.
District Legal Services Authority tasked with determining suitable compensation
However, since this amount is insufficient, the District Legal Services Authority, Thane has been directed to determine the compensation to the victim girl under Section 357-A (1). In this case, Police Sub-Inspector Vaibhav Rupvate acted as the prosecution officer, Police Naik Ramesh Birari, Dhiraj Suryavanshi, Amor Bhasra acted as the court clerk.
