Badminton Coach Imprisoned For Five Years For Molesting Minor Girl (image-pixabay)
A special POCSO court on Thursday sentenced a 27-year-old badminton coach to five years rigorous imprisonment for sexually abusing a 10-year-old student in 2019. According to the prosecution, the incident was occurred in 2019 during a badminton coaching class in Mulund, Maharashtra.
The judge further said that any act of slapping on the buttock or pinching chest cannot be used as a method of punishment. “ This act cannot be said to be accidental or non-intentional,” the judge said.
The victim attended the classes during Monday, Wednesday and Friday. On July 10, the minor reached back home in a disturbed state of mind, when enquired, by her mother, the victim narrated the incident. The child revealed that her coach, Nitesh Dindhale, had pinched her on the waist and touched her inappropriately, reports Hindustan times.
Based on the complaint filed by the mother, Dindhale was booked under sections 354(assault, criminal force, sexual harassment, voyeurism, and stalking, that target women’s modesty and privacy) of the Indian Penal Code, 1860, and under sections 8 (sexual assault) and 10 (aggravated sexual assault) of the POCSO Act, 2012.
The accused was fined an amount of Rs 5,000 by the court. While pronouncing the order, the judge also stated that there is a surge in the cases in respect of children who are being sexually abused. “This legislative has taken taken initiative to protect children from sexual offences. The result of which, the enactment, the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act came into force,” the court added.
However, considering the age of the accused and being a first time offender, the court ordered minimum sentence, reports Times of India. “There is no record of criminal antecedents. Considering the nature of allegation, age of the accused and his future career, I am of the opinion that if accused has been awarded minimum sentence, it will serve the object of punishment”, the judge said.
