Man sentenced to one year for molesting minor girl

Nagpur: A 29-year-old man has been sentenced to one year of rigorous imprisonment for molesting a three-year-old girl. The verdict was delivered by district and sessions Judge RP Pandey, who also serves as the special judge under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
The incident occurred on December 14, 2014, between 6 pm and 6.30 pm, at the residence of the victim in the Pratap Nagar police station jurisdiction. The minor girl, daughter of the complainant, was alone at home when the convict, Akshay Mendhe, who was a tenant in the same house, allegedly behaved obscenely and made lewd gestures toward her.
Following a complaint lodged by the child's mother, an offence was registered at Pratap Nagar police station under relevant sections of the non-bailable POCSO Act. The accused was arrested on the same day.
After a prolonged trial, the court found Mendhe guilty and sentenced him to one year of rigorous imprisonment, along with a fine of ₹3,000. In case of default in payment, he will have to serve an additional month of imprisonment. Separately, for the offence of criminal intimidation, he was awarded another one-year sentence and a fine of ₹3,000, with the same default clause of one extra month of imprisonment.
The prosecution was conducted by Additional Public Prosecutor Sonali Raut, while Advocate Baba Kalode appeared for the defence. The court proceedings were coordinated by criminal court advocates Gautam Dhoke and Digambar Bhoyar.