Thane, Aug 12 (PTI) A special POCSO court in Maharashtra’s Thane has acquitted two men accused of kidnapping and sexually assaulting a minor nearly five years ago, after the survivor and her brother did not support the prosecution’s case.
In his order of August 10, Special Judge Premal S Vithalani cleared 25-year-olds Umakant Sanjay Gosavi, who is now married to the survivor, and Deepak Santosh Nikam of all charges, holding that there was no incriminating evidence against them.
The two were booked under the Indian Penal Code and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act on September 30, 2021, following allegations that they kidnapped a 16-year-old girl and attempted to commit sexual assault by forcefully developing intimacy with her.
During the trial, the minor, now an adult, testified that she had willingly gone with Gosavi, as they were in a romantic relationship. She clarified that he had neither induced nor forced her to leave home, nor had he or Nikam attempted any unwanted intimacy.
She further testified that she had since entered into a registered marriage with Gosavi and that they were living together peacefully. The victim’s brother, the original complainant, also backed her account.
The court said the minor left home without any active inducement, which meant that the kidnapping case could not be established. In the absence of evidence, it acquitted both. PTI COR NR
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