Mumbai, January 6: A 27-year-old badminton coach from Mulund was on Thursday, January 4, sentenced to five years of rigorous imprisonment for allegedly molesting a minor girl. The special POCSO found the accused guilty of allegedly patting, misbehaving, and inappropriately touching the 10-year-old girl student in Mulund. The alleged incident occurred during a badminton coaching class in 2019.

According to a report in Hindustan Times, the victim, who was a class 5 student back then, attended the coaching classes on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday evenings. The incident took place on July 10, 2019, when the girl appeared scared after finishing her classes. When her mother inquired, the child narrated the incident. Mumbai Shocker: 19-Year-Old Student Dies by Suicide by Jumping From 14th Floor of Building in Andheri.

The victim told her mother that her coach, Nitesh Dindhale, touched her inappropriately and even pinched her on the waist. Following this, the mother approached cops and lodged a complaint. Acting on her complaint, the police booked the accused under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and of the POCSO Act, 2012.

During the trial of the case, the victim testified about the incident and said, "Sir gives training by holding hands. I was making some mistakes in the game, and hence, Nitesh sir was angry. He slapped me and did a bad act with me." However, the accused's lawyer, advocate Gaonkar, argued the case on two grounds, including denying any wrongdoing and secondly asserting that physical contact is common between a teacher and a student during coaching. Mumbai Shocker: Man Kills Wife, Brutally Attacks Elder Brother in Malad West, Absconding.

Special judge Kalpana K Patil, while pronouncing the order, also imposed a fine of Rs 5000 on the accused. The court observed that these days, there are maximum cases in respect of children who have been sexually abused. The court further said that the POCSO Act came into force to protect children from sexual offences.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 06, 2024 09:51 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).