Molester sentenced to one year in jail

A man, convicted for molesting a student in a Blueline bus here in 2009, has been sentenced to one year in jail by a Delhi court which said any lenient approach on such persons "emboldens the potential offenders".
The court also imposed a fine of Rs 8,000 on Irfan Khan, a resident of Sangam Vihar, declining his plea for taking a lenient view by releasing him on probation or on the period already undergone by him in custody in the case.
"In the present case, the convict (Khan) brazenly molested the prosecturix (girl) in a crowded public bus. The offence against women are on rise in the society and any mercy for such offender is counter productive to the interest of society at large.

"Any lenient approach for such offender sends wrong message to society and emboldens the potential offenders," Metropolitan Magistrate Priya Mahendra said.
The court, however, granted bail to Khan on a personal bond of Rs 10,000 and a surety of the like amount after he moved an application for bail to file appeal against his conviction and sentence.
The court had earlier held Khan guilty for the offence under section 354 (outraging women modesty) of the IPC while relying on the testimony of the complainant who had said that when she was travelling in a Blueline bus along with a friend on February 25, 2009, Khan had molested her.

The police had told the court that Khan molested the girl and was arrested from the spot on the complaint by the victim.

The girl had deposed before the court that after the incident, she had told about it to her co-passengers who got hold of the accused and police was called at the spot.
During trial, Khan refuted all the allegations levelled against him saying he was implicated in the case and had not done any obscene act with the girl.
The court, however, convicted Khan saying the evidence of the girl was "found to be totally credit worthy, truthful and reliable".