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Pune, 9th September 2024: A 70-year-old retired government employee who sexually harassed a schoolgirl in Pune has been sentenced to 20 years of hard labour and a fine of Rs 10,000 by Special Judge KP Kshirsagar. A case was registered against the senior citizen at the Vishrantwadi Police Station.

On 31st October 2019, a seven-year-old girl went to play in the garden with her grandfather, where the accused had brought a pet dog. He lured the girl to a nearby housing project site and sexually harassed her. After the incident, the frightened girl informed her mother about what had happened. The police arrested the accused and filed a charge sheet against him.

Special Public Prosecutor Nitin Konghe represented the government in this case. The testimony of ten witnesses was recorded, with the statements of the girl and the medical officers being particularly significant. The accused was presented in court via video link, during which the girl recognized him as “the uncle with the dog.” She testified that he had harassed her.

The court directed the Pune District Legal Services Authority to provide compensation to the girl under Section 396 of the Protection of Civil Rights (PCR) Act of 1955. Special Public Prosecutor Konghe emphasized that the accused committed a heinous act, leaving the seven-year-old victim physically and mentally traumatized. He argued that, despite being a senior citizen, the accused should face severe punishment without any leniency.

The court accepted the government’s argument and sentenced the accused accordingly. In the verdict, the court noted, “The accused is a senior citizen and has no enmity with the victim’s family, complainants, or witnesses. Therefore, it is evident that the family has no intention to implicate the senior citizen in this crime.”

The special court concluded that the accused intended to derive pleasure from sexually harassing the victim.

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