An elderly couple in their 80s was convicted under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO). The husband, aged 87, and wife aged 81 were sentenced to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment by a POCSO court in Mumbai.
The special POCSO court, presided over by judge Rekha N Pandhare, also imposed a fine of ₹ one lakh on the couple.
The sexual assault took place on September 4, 2013. The child told police that she was returning from a friend's house when the elderly couple, whom she referred to as dada and dadi, called her over. According to a report, the man took her into the house and slapped her when she tried to leave. The man sexually assaulted her, while his wife was holding her, the child alleged. She also said the woman repeated the act.
The child’s mother in her statement said that her daughter recounted the ordeal when she put the girl to bed.
The mother immediately checked the girl's private parts and found inflammation. The mother informed her husband and immediately lodged a complaint. The couple was arrested the next day by the police based on the parents’ complaints.
On Thursday, the Special judge Rekha N Pandhare noted that the accused, who were out on bail were aged enough to be the victim's grandparents and they were supposed to take care of her. Instead, they sexually assaulted her.
The court which relied on the statements by the girl, her mother, and medical records found the couple guilty under section 6 of Pocso Act, which prescribes punishment for offence of “aggravated penetrative sexual assault”.
