Man acquitted of charges of raping minor girl

Thane: A special court acquitted a 40-year-old powerloom worker in Bhiwandi township here of charges of raping a four-year-old girl.

R N Bawankar, the judge of the special court for hearing cases under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, observed that the prosecution failed to prove the charges against the accused.

The man, a resident of Khadipur locality in Bhiwandi, was booked under section 376 of the Indian Penal Code (rape) and provisions of the POCSO Act for allegedly sexually assaulting the girl when she was playing outside her home in his neighbourhood on November 22, 2016.

The victim’s mother had filed a complaint at the Nizampura Police Station, following which he was arrested. Three eyewitnesses deposed in the court but did not support the prosecution’s theory.

After hearing both sides, Judge Bawankar acquitted the man while observing that since the eyewitnesses did not support the case, the evidence submitted on record by the investigating officer was not sufficient to prove the charges levelled beyond reasonable doubt.