Thane, Aug 5 The district and sessions court in Thane has sentenced a 23-year-old man to rigorous imprisonment of 20 years for sexually assaulting a minor girl under the guise of marriage, delivering a verdict within two months after a case was registered against him in June.
The court pulled up the investigation officer for a "callous" probe and directed the MBVV police commissioner to conduct an inquiry against the assistant police inspector.
The district and sessions court judge G T Pawar also handed a five-month RI to the convict, identified as Azad, alias Munnan Arjun Gautam, under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, which will run concurrently. The court imposed a Rs 10,000 fine on Azad, noting that default in payment will attract an additional rigorous imprisonment of six months.
He will also have to pay a separate fine of Rs 5,000 under Section 87 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), the court said, adding that the failure to pay will attract an additional three-month RI.
A case was registered at Kashigaon police station on June 3, 2026, and the matter reached a full conviction on August 4.
A copy of the order was made available on Wednesday.
Special Public Prosecutor Yogendra Patil argued the case and examined four key witnesses, leading to the conviction of the accused.
According to the prosecution, Azad had lured a 14-year-old girl with the promise of marriage and took her to Rajkot without her parents' consent.
He repeatedly sexually assaulted her while attempting to simulate a legitimate marriage by applying vermilion to her forehead, the prosecution said.
The court noted that any such ceremony involving a minor is entirely void and legally invalid.
"A rigorous imprisonment for twenty years and fine of Rs 10,000 under Section 6 of POCSO Act and in default of payment of fine, sentence of rigorous imprisonment for six months, would be the proper sentence," Judge Pawar noted.
Observing that the accused is a first-time offender and sole breadwinner for his family, the court handed down a sentence of rigorous imprisonment of five years and a fine of Rs 5,000 under section 87 of BNS.
"The mitigating circumstance in favour of the convict is that he is a first-time offender and his family is dependent on him. The aggravating circumstance against the convict is that he has kidnapped the victim with intent to compel her to marry and had committed repeated penetrative sexual assault on her," the judge said.
The court, meanwhile, pulled up the "callous" investigation in the case and submission of a charge-sheet in a "very casual manner".
"The Commissioner of Police, Mira Bhayandar Vasai Virar is directed to conduct an inquiry into the casual investigation conducted by API M.P. Manore, and if necessary, send him for training in the investigation of the cases under the POCSO Act and submit a report within 90 days," the judge said.
