Mumbai: Month’s jail for man who asked girl to marry him – Times of India

MUMBAI: Thirteen years after a now-42-year-old man pulled the arm of his 14-year-old cousin and insisted that she marry him before her mother came to her rescue, a magistrate’s court convicted and sentenced him to one month’s imprisonment.
“In present case prosecution witness number 1 (child) has deposed that she felt offended and ashamed due to the act of accused. Though accused is relative, he had no right to touch her body without her consent,” the court said.
The court also refuted the defence of the accused that since the girl did not react after the incident, there was no force in her allegations. “Different persons may react differently in particular situation. It appears from her evidence that she sent one boy to call her mother. It can be construed as her reaction … . So it can be held that accused outraged the modesty of prosecution witness 1,” the court said.
The case was tried before a magistrate’s court as the Protection of Children From Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act was not in force at the time of the incident.
The incident took place on February 2, 2009 when the child was returning home from school.