<p>A court in <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/mumbai/mumbai-crime-news/article/maharashtra-42-year-old-woman-stabbed-to-death-by-neighbour-over-financial-dispute-in-thane-23477812" target="_blank" rel="none noopener">Thane district</a> in Maharashtra acquitted a man accused of sexually harassing his 14-year-old stepdaughter after she denied allegations against him, PTI reported.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>A copy of the order passed on January 23 was made available on Tuesday, PTI reported.</p>
<p>The special public prosecutor informed the court that the girl lived with her mother and stepfather in Thane district's Mira Road area.&nbsp;</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>A case was registered based on the girl's complaint and the man was arrested and was in police custody for five months.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>The court said the duo had stated that the man would beat the girl, and <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/news/india-news/article/man-held-for-beating-van-driver-to-death-in-gurugram-village-23465634" target="_blank" rel="none noopener">angered by the beatings, the mother filed a complaint in which she gave an exaggerated version of the factual circumstances,</a> as she was under the impression that the police would beat him and would release him after two to three days, PTI reported.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>She further denied that the man had shown her obscene videos and touched her inappropriately, PTI reported.</p>
<h2>Thane man gets 3-year imprisonment for sexually harassing teenage girl</h2>
<p>A court in <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/mumbai/mumbai-news/article/fadnavis-shinde-discord-has-hit-maharashtras-progress-claims-sanjay-raut-23476830" target="_blank" rel="none noopener">Maharashtra's </a>Thane district has sentenced a 51-year-old man to three years of rigorous imprisonment for sexually harassing a minor girl in 2019, reported news agency PTI.</p>
<p>Such incidents should be reported to police as it will help in creating awareness in society and the convictions will serve as a deterrent to the offenders, the prosecution quoted special POCSO court judge DS Deshmukh as saying in the order passed on Wednesday.</p>
<p>Special Public Prosecutor Sandhya H Matre told the court that on July 5, 2019, the victim, then aged 13 and studying in Class 9, was on her way to her school in Thane's Mumbra area when the accused, Moij Hatim Rampurwala, followed her and touched her inappropriately, reported PTI.</p>
<p>The girl resisted his advances, <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/mumbai/mumbai-news/article/thane-accident-three-injured-as-car-hits-auto-rickshaw-near-ghodbunder-road-23478013" target="_blank" rel="none noopener">raised an alarm and hit the Thane man with an umbrella</a>, following which a woman passing by rushed there and saved the victim, while the accused ran away.</p>
<p>The victim and the woman chased the Thane man to his house and later nabbed him, the prosecution said.</p>
<p>The girl and the woman subsequently approached the police and lodged a complaint against the Thane man following which he was arrested.</p>
<p>Judge Deshmukh on Wednesday pronounced the accused guilty on charges of sexual harassment and under provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, reported PTI.</p>
<p><br />(With PTI inputs)</p><p>
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According to judge, the prime witnesses, the girl and her mother had failed to support the prosecution's case

Thane: Court acquits man accused of sexually harassing 14-year-old step-daughter

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