08 February,2025 03:10 PM IST | Thane | mid-day online correspondent
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A special court in Maharashtra's Thane district has sentenced a man to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment for raping a nine-year-old girl, reported news agency PTI.
Special judge DS Deshmukh on Friday found the accused guilty of charges under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
The man, a resident of Thane city, was sentenced to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment, and a fine of Rs 10,000 was imposed on him, reported PTI.
The judge also directed that the fine be paid to the victim as compensation and referred the case to the DLSA for payment of additional compensation to the girl.
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Special public prosecutor Sandhya H Mhatre informed the court that the girl and her widowed mother went to stay with her maternal grandparents, where the accused, a relative of theirs, also lived, reported PTI.
She said the accused showed the girl objectionable videos and raped her repeatedly when they were alone.
The abuse, which took place between April 2018 and March 2019, came to light when the mother saw the girl watching an objectionable video, and the child told her everything, reported PTI.
The defence argued that a false case was registered against the accused due to a property dispute between the girl's mother and his family.
The court, however, dismissed the defence's argument, stating that it was not cogent and believable.
A court in Thane district in Maharashtra acquitted a man accused of sexually harassing his 14-year-old stepdaughter after she denied allegations against him, PTI reported.
Special POCSO judge Ruby U Malvankar acquitted the man of charges under relevant provisions of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
A copy of the order passed on January 23 was made available on Tuesday, PTI reported.
The special public prosecutor informed the court that the girl lived with her mother and stepfather in Thane district's Mira Road area.
The girl had alleged that her stepfather touched her inappropriately and showed her obscene videos and the harassment took place between January 2021 and February 2021, PTI reported.
A case was registered based on the girl's complaint and the man was arrested and was in police custody for five months.
According to the judge, both the prime witnesses, the girl and her mother, who could have testified about the accused's alleged misbehaviour and misconduct, had failed to support the prosecution's case.
The court said the duo had stated that the man would beat the girl, and angered by the beatings, the mother filed a complaint in which she gave an exaggerated version of the factual circumstances, as she was under the impression that the police would beat him and would release him after two to three days, PTI reported.
The girl, in her testimony, claimed that her stepfather would beat her when she made a mistake and on the relevant day, he had beaten her as he had thought that she was using his mobile phone, and in a fit of anger, they filed a complaint.
She further denied that the man had shown her obscene videos and touched her inappropriately, PTI reported.
(With inputs from PTI)
