Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 31 Oct: A special POCSO court in Dehradun has convicted a shop owner for assaulting a 12-year-old girl. Additional District and Sessions Judge Archana Sagar sentenced the accused, Manjeet, to five years of rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
Public Prosecutor Alpana Thapa stated that the court also found Manjeet guilty of criminal intimidation by threatening the girl. For this offence, he was sentenced to two years in jail along with a fine of Rs 5,000.
The incident happened on 8 August 2020 during the lockdown. The girl had gone to the shop to buy onions. The main shutter was closed, but the shopkeeper, Manjeet, called her inside through a side gate. Once inside, he touched her inappropriately and held her hand. When the girl cried, he threatened to kill her if she told anyone. Scared, the girl ran home and told her mother.
Her family went to the police and filed a complaint. During the trial, the girl, her mother, and her father all gave the same statement. The court believed the girl and said she had no reason to lie. Manjeet said the case was false and claimed the family filed it because he had asked them to return borrowed money. But the court found no proof of this.
The judge found Manjeet guilty. He was given five years jail and a fine of Rs 10,000 under the POCSO Act. He also got two years of jail and a Rs 5,000 fine for threatening the girl. Both punishments will run at the same time.
The court also ordered the government to give the girl Rs 1,00,000 as compensation. This case shows that the law is serious about protecting children and giving them justice.
