Man gets life imprisonment for sexually assaulting minor girl in Palghar
Thane (PTI): A special POCSO court here has sentenced a man to life imprisonment for sexually assaulting a six-year-old girl in Maharashtra's Palghar district in 2018, describing the crime as "heinous".
Special Judge N K Karande, delivering the verdict on March 11, held the accused, Sandesh Ganpat Kharpade (35), guilty under various provisions of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
The court also imposed a fine of Rs 5,000 on the accused.
The incident occurred on August 5, 2018, in Wada taluka of Palghar district.
According to the prosecution, the accused lured the victim to his house on the pretext of giving her sweets while her parents were away at work and sexually assaulted her.
The assault resulted in severe injuries to the child, who was later found bleeding by her parents.
The court relied on the victim's "trustworthy" testimony and medical evidence that confirmed the assault.
The crime committed by the accused is "heinous", it said.
The defence had argued that the case was falsely foisted due to a prior dispute and pointed to the lack of external injuries on the victim's limbs.
The court, however, dismissed these claims, saying no parents would put up the life of their child "on the anvil" and ruin it.
The claim that the victim sustained injury (to her private parts) by falling is not believable, it noted.
The victim categorically denied the defence of the accused. The defence has not suggested any reason to depose the victim as false, the court said.
While the accused pleaded for leniency, citing his weak financial condition and status as a first-time offender, the court held that the nature of the crime warranted a severe penalty.
The court further noted that the medical evidence corroborated the child's account of the assault.
Special Public Prosecutor Vijay M Munde examined 12 witnesses, including the victim, to prove the charges.
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Rahul appeals to people of Delhi's Uttam Nagar to maintain peace; accuses BJP of fanning violence
New Delhi (PTI): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday said the people of Uttam Nagar do not want any bloodshed as they have already paid a heavy price for violence and urged the people of Delhi not to fall for any provocation as the country's strength lies in its unity and brotherhood.
In a post in Hindi on X, Gandhi alleged that the BJP and its ecosystem want bloodshed to continue and seize every opportunity of fanning violence and spreading hatred in society.
"The people of Uttam Nagar have paid a heavy price for the violence - on one side, a young man, Tarun, lost his life, and on the other, an entire family is facing persecution. They don't want any more bloodshed.
"Bloodshed is what only the BJP and its ecosystem desires, which seizes every opportunity to fan violence and hatred," the leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha said.
"They want the country to remain entangled in Hindu-Muslim tension, so that people cannot ask why the prime minister is being forced to hand over the country's defense, energy security, food security, and strategic sovereignty to America - and that's why, in broad daylight, riot-like conditions are once again being created in the nation's capital," he claimed.
"An appeal to the residents of Delhi: Do not fall for any provocation - the strength of the country lies in our unity, brotherhood, and love. Jodo, jodo, Bharat Jodo..." the Congress leader said in his post.
Tension and violence has gripped Uttam Nagar in north Delhi, after 26-year-old Tarun was killed on March 4, following a clash between his family and their neighbours in the JJ Colony area after a girl from Tarun's family threw a balloon, splashing a woman from the neighbour's family during Holi celebrations.
Some Hindu outfits later staged a protest against the killing and torched two vehicles of the accused family members. The police have stepped up security and made heavy deployment in the affected areas to avoid any more violent incident ahead of the Eid celebrations.
