Court Acquits Man in Thane Over Sexual Assault Allegations

A court in Thane, Maharashtra, has acquitted a 32-year-old man accused of sexually assaulting a minor girl. Special POCSO Court Judge D S Deshmukh delivered the judgment, saying the allegations seemed to stem from a personal dispute between the accused and the girl's mother over a marriage proposal.

The accused, Mohammad Nashir Rain, a local tea seller, was charged under Indian Penal Code and POCSO Act provisions. The incident reportedly took place in August 2019 when the victim and her mother were returning from a market in Thane's Mumbra area. Despite prosecution claims, the court found inconsistencies in the testimonies of the mother and daughter.

Judge Deshmukh noted that the mother admitted to a prior relationship with the accused, who had refused to marry her. The court suggested the possibility that the victim was tutored and her testimony lacked enough confidence to establish sexual assault. Consequently, the court acquitted the accused, citing the prosecution's failure to prove foundational facts.