The court dismissed his claim that the allegations were fabricated due to unpaid medical bills and ruled that the prosecution had proved the charges beyond a reasonable doubt, describing the survivor’s testimony as “trustworthy and fully reliable.”
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According to news reports, the victim, a Class 9 student, was taken to the clinic on June 2, 2019, by her grandmother and aunt after she complained of uneasiness. According to the prosecution, while the minor was on IV fluids, the doctor allegedly touched her chest and moved his hand over her stomach and private parts. When the girl objected, he claimed it was part of medical treatment and threatened to kill her by injecting something into the IV line if she spoke about it to anyone.
During the hearing, the doctor claimed he had been falsely implicated due to a dispute over unpaid medical bills. His assistant repeated this claim as a defence witness. However, the court found no documentary evidence to support the allegation. Presiding judge B. S. Gare noted, “There is no probable evidence… The witness does not have any documentary evidence to show the outstanding amount.”
The court relied on a local shopkeeper’s statement that residents confronted the doctor on June 3 after learning he had “outraged the modesty of one girl”, which corroborated the survivor’s version and reflected the immediate public response. The court also observed that the minor’s testimony remained consistent with both the FIR and her statement recorded by the police. “Her evidence is not at all shaken at any material point to disbelieve her testimony,” the judge noted, reports the Hindustan Times.
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Holding that the doctor had committed the offence, the court denied his plea for leniency. He was sentenced to five years’ rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs 5,000 under Section 10 of the POCSO Act, one year’s RI and a fine of Rs 2,000 under Section 12 of POCSO, and one year’s RI and a fine of Rs 2,000 under Section 506 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). All sentences will run concurrently.
The court also directed that the fine be paid to the survivor and advised her to approach the District Legal Services Authority if it is not deposited, reports Hindustan Times.
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