A court in Maharashtra's Thane has
awarded seven-year rigorous imprisonment to a 26-year-old man for sodomising a minor boy in 2016.
Special judge S P Gondhalekar last week pronounced the accused, Mohammad Akram Jaki Ansari, guilty under Indian Penal Code Section 377 (unnatural offences) and provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
He also imposed a fine of Rs 3,000 on the accused.
The prosecution told the court that Ansari and the 12 -year-old boy were residents of the same locality in Bhiwandi town here.
On December 26, 2016, the accused called the boy to his house to watch television and sodomised him. He then warned the boy against revealing the offence to anyone and gave him Rs 20 to buy a fruit drink.
The boy, however, rushed home and informed his father who lodged a police complaint against the accused.
The accused was arrested the next day and booked under the IPC and POCSO sections.
The prosecution sought maximum punishment for the accused, saying it was a "serious crime".
The judge said, "Admittedly, the nature of the offence is serious. A special statute is enacted to safeguard minors from such offences. Therefore, leniency cannot be considered."
"Considering the totality of circumstances, the age of the accused and the fact that he is in jail since his arrest in the case, I am of the view that the accused shall be sentenced to rigorous imprisonment for seven years," he said in his order.
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