‘Does not belong in civilised society': Gujarat POCSO court awards life imprisonment to principal who sexually assaulted class 3 student

Indian Express

a day ago

Calling it a 'gruesome offence with highest viciousness', a special POCSO court in Gujarat's Mehsana district sentenced a 58-year-old government school principal to life imprisonment for the sexual assault of a Class 3 student in September 2023.
Special POCSO Judge S S Kale on Thursday observed that the minor victim was 'not even eight years old' at the time of the crime. Convicting the principal under the provisions of the POCSO Act for aggravated penetrative sexual assault, the court observed, 'This case reveals an act of monstrous betrayal — a principal, the supposed moral guardian of a school, who used the sanctity of a classroom to commit an unspeakable crime against a child not even eight years old.'
'The very space meant to nurture innocence and learning was defiled by this predator in the guise of an educator. This Court is appalled, enraged, and shaken by the sheer depravity and moral corrosion demonstrated by the accused,' the court said, '…Such a person deserves no place in civilised society.'
Stating that the case has serious consequences on the community at large, the court said, 'When a child steps into a school, she is expected to be protected by her teachers — not hunted by them. That a person holding the dual post of teacher and principal of a government school used his authority to force himself upon a minor girl reflects not merely a lapse of duty, but a collapse of conscience and humanity. This act is not just criminal — it is demonic. The conduct of the accused is beyond forgiveness.'
The court further said, 'This Court is duty-bound to send a message — loud and stern. Children are not to be touched. Their innocence is not to be stolen. And those who dare commit such acts will face the full, unrelenting wrath of the law. No punishment can truly undo the psychological scars inflicted upon the victim girl. But let this Court serve as a solemn warning: those who prey on children, especially from positions of power and trust, will be shown no mercy — not in the eyes of the law, and not in the eyes of this Court.'
A total of 18 witnesses and 24 pieces of documentary evidence were examined during the trial, in which District Government Pleader VB Barot urged the court to hand out maximum punishment to the victim, submitting that the offence was 'premeditated and also against the society'. While the defence counsel V M Brahmabhatt argued that the police had filed 'a false chargesheet' against the accused based on 'surmises and conjectures' and that there was 'absolutely no evidence either oral or documentary to implicate the accused'. The defence had also submitted that being the eldest member of his family, the accused had the 'responsibility of maintaining his family'.
The prosecution's case was that the accused had summoned the victim to a classroom on the pretext of teaching her to read, submitting medical evidence as well as forensic evidence showing the recovery of 'pornographic content' from the accused's phone.
The court awarded a compensation of Rs 50,000 to the victim under the Gujarat Victim Compensation Fund.