Mumbai court sends 70-year-old man to 10 years in jail for repeated sexual assault of minor

In the trial that lasted less than a year, the court found the accused guilty based on the testimony of the minor girl and medical evidence. A case had been filed by the police in 2019 after they were informed that a 17-year-old girl, who was three months pregnant, was brought to a public hospital.

While the girl and her mother initially refused to give out details, a case was registered against an unknown person by the police under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

Later, the police brought a counsellor to speak to the girl and, subsequently, she opened up about the assault. The trial then began in 2020.

As per her testimony, she was working at a tailoring shop owned by the accused. She told the court that after having lunch she would fall asleep and wake up around 7 pm feeling uneasy.

A few months later she was taken to the hospital after bouts of vomiting and the medical examination revealed that she was pregnant. While the victim underwent an abortion, the DNA was preserved and it matched with the accused. The court relied on it to convict the 70-year-old man.

While the accused disputed the victim’s age and said the relationship was consensual, the court said that the age difference showed that the accused had taken advantage of the minor.

“The victim was very young and she was going to the shop of the accused. The accused has taken advantage of her vulnerable situation and committed penetrative sexual assault upon her. At the same time, it can be seen that the accused is more than 70 years old. Considering the facts and circumstances of the case, I find that much leniency cannot be shown to the accused,” special judge Bharti Kale said in her order passed Friday.