Latest news with #ProtectionofChildrenfromSexualOffencesAct
Indian Express
9 hours ago
- Indian Express
Stripping girl students: School principal, teachers and staff in Thane get bail; but court says the act is shocking
WHILE THE principal and teachers at a private school in Thane district who were arrested for stripping girl students to check whether they were menstruating were granted bail on Monday, the court said the act is shocking. It said the argument that it was done to deter students and make them aware of hygiene is not sustainable. The special court in Kalyan granted bail to the principal and five teachers and staffers of the school. They were arrested on July 9 and 10 and have been in jail since. During the bail hearing, the principal and staffers had argued that the act was to discipline and deter the students from throwing pads in the washroom, causing it to choke. They submitted that the intention was only to make them aware of hygiene. 'Prima facie considering the allegations, there is not even a suggestion of sexual intent. The act is shocking and the arguments that it was done to deter students and make them aware of hygiene is not sustainable. The victim girls were forcefully checked against their consent whether they were having a menstrual cycle. It would be pertinent to note here that though the act is shocking, no purpose will be served by detaining her behind the bars,' the special court said in one of the orders. The court noted that the principal is a 62-year-old woman and other staffers are women too, with no criminal antecedents. 'There is nothing to recover from her. There are no antecedents. The applicant is not at flight risk. The apprehension of the prosecution can be taken care of by imposing stringent terms and conditions,' the court said. The court ordered them to be released on a bond of Rs 15,000. The accused had been booked under sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act. The complaint by one of the parents had said that the girl students were taken to the bathroom and they were asked to strip to check which students are menstruating after a blood-stained fingerprint was found on the toilet wall.
News18
13 hours ago
- News18
Residential school staffer held for molesting girl students in Jalna
Agency: Jalna, Jul 28 (PTI) The manager of a residential sports school in Maharashtra's Jalna district has been arrested for allegedly molesting girl students at the facility, police said on Monday. The accused, an employee of the government-run school, has been booked under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO), an official said. According to sources, a group of parents submitted a complaint to the collector on Saturday, accusing the manager of inappropriate behaviour with female students at the school. Following the complaint, a team from the education department conducted an inspection at the school, and several girls made serious allegations against the manager. The girls, in their statements, alleged that the manager would take them into rooms, which were not under CCTV surveillance, and touch them inappropriately. One of the girls also claimed that despite the presence of a female coach, the manager insisted on measuring her chest, which left her frightened and uncomfortable. Block education officer Manoj Kolhe said 10 to 12 girls had complained against the accused. 'We have taken the statements of the girls and registered a case at Kadim Jalna police station," he said, adding that four girls have given a formal statement. view comments First Published: July 28, 2025, 19:00 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
The Hindu
15 hours ago
- The Hindu
Government school teacher accused of molesting over 20 students booked under Goondas Act in Ooty
A 50-year-old government school teacher, who is alleged to have molested more than 20 students has been booked under the Goondas Act in the Nilgiris district. The accused, identified as M. Senthil Kumar (50) from Iduhatty in Udhagamandalam, had been working as a science teacher at a government school in the Nilgiris. He is said to have been working as a teacher for over 23 years in different parts of Tamil Nadu and had transferred to the school in Udhagamandalam a few months ago. It has been said that the Nilgiris district police, who have been conducting awareness programmes to sensitise school students on sexual assault, harassment and sexual violence committed against children, were informed by students that their teacher had sexually assaulted them since he joined the school. So far, more than 20 students have come forward and have alleged that they were molested by the accused. Police said that they have widened their investigation to schools where Senthil Kumar has worked over the last two decades to ascertain if he had committed the crime on other children. Senthil Kumar was arrested earlier this month under Sections 75(2) (sexual harassment) of the BNS Act and various sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, including sexual assault, as well as the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. Based on the recommendation of the Nilgiris district superintendent of police N.S. Nisha, orders were passed by the Collector to book Senthil Kumar under the Goondas Act, who has currently been lodged in the Coimbatore Central Prison.
Time of India
2 days ago
- Time of India
School guard held for sexual harassment of two boys
Vasai: A security guard at an educational institute in Virar (west) was arrested on Sunday for sexually harassing two students studying in class 10. The police said that the 53-year-old security guard had cornered the two boys aged 15 and 17 in the kitchen of the school canteen after school hours and "sexually harassed" the boys, according to a complaint lodged at Arnala Coastal police, Virar, on Saturday by a senior office-bearer of the school-cum-junior college. The complaint mentions that the crime took place sometime in the third week of June, in the evening. The cops traced the security guard and arrested him under charges of sexual harassment and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act and produced him in court, which has sent him to police custody. You Can Also Check: Mumbai AQI | Weather in Mumbai | Bank Holidays in Mumbai | Public Holidays in Mumbai
Time of India
3 days ago
- Time of India
‘Befriending girl doesn't give right to sex with her'
New Delhi: Befriending a girl doesn't give a man the right to have sex with her without consent, Delhi High Court stated on Thursday. It dismissed the bail plea of a man accused of sexually assaulting a minor. The court underlined that mere friendship doesn't eliminate the need for consent. Justice Girish Kathpalia rejected the man's claim of having consensual relations with the girl, pointing out that even consent could not be legal as the girl was a minor at the time. "Merely because a girl befriends a boy, the latter cannot be given liberty to indulge in sexual intercourse with her without her consent. Further, even the consent would not be lawful in the present case because the prosecutrix was minor in age," the court observed in its order. It highlighted the girl's specific allegations in the FIR and her testimony about the man's repeated sexual assaults despite her protestations. "I am unable to find it a case of consensual relations merely because in the FIR the prosecutrix stated that the accused/applicant with his sweet talk befriended her," it said, adding that for these reasons, the case is "not a fit case to grant bail to the accused." You Can Also Check: Delhi AQI | Weather in Delhi | Bank Holidays in Delhi | Public Holidays in Delhi The prosecution alleged that in April 2023, the man, working as a construction labourer in NDMC apartments in Vikaspuri, befriended the minor and subsequently raped her. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Villas For Sale in Dubai Might Surprise You Villas in Dubai | Search Ads Get Info Undo According to the complaint, the girl was threatened not to confide in anyone, and the man continued to rape her until Nov 2023. The accused was subsequently booked last year for rape, stalking, criminal intimidation, and under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act. In his defence, the accused maintained that the girl was a major at the time of the incident and he had consensual sex with her, while claiming several inconsistencies in her testimony. Rejecting the plea, the court said a single handpicked line from the testimony of the girl's mother cannot be read in isolation from the remaining material on record. The court considered her educational records establishing her age as a minor and said it couldn't minutely examine evidence in a bail application, leaving the issue of juvenility to be raised in trial. Recently, the Centre told Supreme Court that the age of consent for sex cannot be lowered from 18 years, as it is meant to protect minors. Loosening age-based protections could open avenues for abuse (rape) under the guise of consensual activity, it stated.
