Bantwal: A Fast Track Special Court in Mangaluru has sentenced a 52-year-old man to two years and six months of imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 40,000 after convicting him of sexually harassing a minor girl. The conviction comes in a case registered by the Bantwal Rural police under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

Case registered under POCSO Act

The case pertains to an incident reported on June 23, 2025, under the jurisdiction of the Bantwal Rural police station, in which a minor schoolgirl was allegedly subjected to sexual harassment.

Following the complaint, police registered Crime No. 79/2025 under Sections 11 and 12 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012, along with Sections 75(i)(ii) and 79 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023.

The investigation was taken up immediately, and officers gathered evidence to establish the allegations against the accused.

Police file charge sheet

The investigation was carried out by the then investigating officers, PSI Keerappa Ghatakambale and PSI Krishnakant Patil.

During the probe, the officers collected documentary and witness evidence against the accused, Monappa Naik (52), a resident of Maninalkur.

After completing the investigation, the police filed a charge sheet before the Fast Track Special Court in Mangaluru for trial.

Court convicts accused

After examining the evidence and hearing arguments from both sides, Judge Mohan J. S. of the Fast Track Special Court-I, Mangaluru, pronounced the judgment on July 31, convicting the accused.

The court sentenced Monappa Naik to two years and six months of rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 15,000 under Section 74 read with Section 62 of the BNS.

The court also awarded:

  • One year of imprisonment and a fine of Rs 10,000 under Section 75(2)(3) read with Section 62 of the BNS.
  • One year of imprisonment and a fine of Rs 5,000 under Section 79 of the BNS.
  • One year of imprisonment and a fine of Rs 10,000 under Section 12 read with Section 18 of the POCSO Act, 2012.

Sentences to run concurrently

The court directed that all the prison terms would run concurrently, making the effective sentence two years and six months of imprisonment.

The total fine imposed on the accused amounts to Rs 40,000.

Prosecution presented evidence

The prosecution was represented by Special Public Prosecutor Sahana Devi, who argued the case before the court and presented the evidence gathered during the investigation.

With the conviction, the case concludes more than a year after the offence was reported, highlighting the role of the Fast Track Special Court in handling offences against children under the POCSO Act.