A court at Vasai in Maharashtra’s Palghar district has sentenced a Nepalese man to five years of rigorous imprisonment for sexually assaulting an 11-year-old girl in 2020.
Special court judge S V Khongal, hearing cases pertaining to the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, has convicted 45-year-old Raju Param Thapa and imposed a fine of Rs 1,000 on him.
Thapa, a cook by profession, resided in the same building in Vasai as the victim, as stated by special public prosecutor Jaiprkash Patil.
The incident occurred on October 27, 2020, when the girl, aged 11 at the time, was allegedly molested by Thapa. He also dragged her to a room in the building and sexually assaulted her, according to Patil.
The court’s order stated that the prosecution had successfully proven all charges against the accused. It emphasized the state’s responsibility to punish wrongdoers and provide compensation and rehabilitation to victims, citing section 357(a) of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC). The court acknowledged the financial circumstances of both the accused and the victim, noting Thapa’s meager earnings and the victim’s poor background.
While recognizing that monetary compensation cannot fully compensate for the harm suffered by the victim and her family, the court emphasized that it could provide some solace. Considering all these factors, the court decided to grant compensation to the victim.
