Doctor sentenced to five years RI for sexually assaulting minor patient

While the doctor claimed that he had been falsely implicated due to unsettled medical bills, the court held that the prosecution had proved the charges beyond a reasonable doubt and said the survivor’s testimony was “trustworthy and fully reliable”

Mumbai: A special POCSO court has sentenced a 37-year-old doctor to five years’ rigorous imprisonment for sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl during treatment at his Govandi clinic in June 2019. While the doctor claimed that he had been falsely implicated due to unsettled medical bills, the court held that the prosecution had proved the charges beyond a reasonable doubt and said the survivor’s testimony was “trustworthy and fully reliable”.

Doctor sentenced to five years RI for sexually assaulting minor patient

According to the prosecution, the victim, a Class 9 student, was taken to a clinic in Govandi by her grandmother and aunt on June 2, 2019, after she complained of uneasiness. While she was on IV fluids, Deshmukh touched her chest and moved his hand over her stomach and private parts. When she objected, he allegedly said it was part of the treatment and threatened to kill her by injecting something into the IV line if she shared it with anyone.

During the hearing on Wednesday, Deshmukh claimed he had been falsely implicated following a quarrel over unpaid medical bills on June 3, 2019. His assistant, examined as a defence witness, repeated this claim, but the court found no proof to support it. “There is no probable evidence… The witness does not have any documentary evidence to show the outstanding amount,” presiding judge B. S. Gare said.

The court relied on a local shopkeeper’s statement that residents confronted the doctor on June 3 after learning he had “outraged the modesty of one girl”, which corroborated the survivor’s version and reflected the immediate public response. The court also observed that the minor’s testimony remained consistent with both the FIR and her statement recorded by the police. “Her evidence is not at all shaken at any material point to disbelieve her testimony,” the judge noted.

Holding that Deshmukh had committed the offence, the court rejected his plea for leniency, sentencing him to five years’ rigorous imprisonment and a fine of ₹5,000 under Section 10, one year’s RI and a fine of ₹2,000 under Section 12 of the POCSO Act, and one year’s RI and a fine of ₹2,000 under Section 506 of the IPC. All sentences will run concurrently. The court also directed that the fine be paid to the survivor and advised her to approach the District Legal Services Authority if it is not deposited.