Daijiworld Media Network – Mangaluru (SS)
Mangaluru, Sep 7: The Dakshina Kannada district Fasttrack court has sentenced bus driver Vijay alias Umesh of a private school to five years of imprisonment and levied a penalty of Rs 5,000 on charges of sexually harassing a minor girl under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act 2019 based on a case filed.
In its judgement, the court ruled that if the accused fails to pay up the penalty his stay in prison will be extended by another three months and booked under another case imprisoning him for a year along with a penalty of Rs 1,000 failing which his jail stay will be extended by another three months.
The victim, a minor girl, was studying fifth standard and was living in an apartment with her parents in Kinnigoli.
The accused had reportedly sexually assaulted the minor girl after all the girls had got off the bus and the driver did not allow this girl to de-board the bus. The driver sexually harassed this schoolgirl near Shibarooru Road, according to a complaint filed with Mulki police. The schoolgirl was physically challenged.
The then Mulki police inspector Ananthapadmanabha who is now serving at Brahmavar police station registered a case and conducted a thorough probe into the matter before referring the case to the district fast track court.