HC upholds 5-yr jail term of man for sexually assaulting minor

The Delhi High Court has upheld a five-year jail term awarded to a man for sexually assaulting an eight-year-old girl in school, observing that the incident may have a permanent adverse effect on the child.
"Sexual assault on a tender aged girl is bound to create a permanent impact and impression on the mind of such a girl, which may permanently affect her adversely," Justice S P Garg said.
The court said the crime committed by the 27-year-old convict, who was a staff of the private school where the incident occurred, was "horrible".
The court's observation came while dismissing the man's appeal against the the trial court's December 2015 decision by which he was convicted under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act and the IPC.

The trial court had awarded him the five-year jail term for the offences.
Challenging the verdict, the convict had denied his involvement in the crime.

As per the prosecution, the man had in July 2014 sexually assaulted the girl in the school campus. On the basis of the complaint lodged by the girl's parents, he was arrested by the police.
Upholding the prosecution theory, the court noted in its judgement that "it is highly unbelievable that the minor child would level serious allegations of outraging her modesty to bring herself in disrepute".
"When the photographs of the suspects were shown to her the next day in the school, she was fair enough to exonerate all of them. When she was shown the appellant's photo, she recognised him to be the perpetrator of the crime.

"In court also, she had no hesitation in recognising the individual who violated her body. The child who was subjected to sexual assault is not expected to bring it to the notice of the strangers soon after the occurrence.
"Her conduct is quite natural as after returning home, she immediately apprised her mother about the occurrence," the court observed.