HYDERABAD: A fast track court for POCSO cases at LB Nagar on Tuesday sentenced a 23-year-old man to three years rigorous imprisonment for inappropriately touching a 14-year-old girl against her wishes.
The complaint lodged by the girl said that at 7 pm on May 5, 2020, she heard the sounds of someone pelting stones at their house. She went outside and accosted the accused. The complainant alleged that the accused demanded she marry him or else he would kill her.
She alleged that he dragged her into his house holding her hand and groped her.
When the accused pelted stones at her home, the windows of the car cracked. The victim’s father checked the CCTV to identify the culprit and saw their neighbour dragging the girl to his house.
He questioned his daughter who revealed the matter. They filed a complaint with the Balapur police on May 24.
In its orders, the court said: “Section 7 of the POCSO Act specifically defines ‘sexual assault’, which includes touching the body of a child inappropriately. This could involve any form of physical contact that is sexual in nature, without the consent of the child. ‘Bad touch’ refers to any touch that violates a child’s right to their body, which may include any inappropriate, non-consensual, or sexually suggestive touch”, the court order noted.
The court said that the POCSO Act emphasises that the child’s consent is paramount and that any touch which makes the child uncomfortable or is sexually motivated is considered a violation of their rights.