Assistant teacher accused of sexually harassing minor girls

S Shyam Prasad | NT

Bengaluru: Dismissing a petition filed by an assistant school teacher, the High Court of Karnataka has denied him bail. The teacher is accused of sexually assaulting minor girls who were attending school in a village in Tumakuru district. He has been booked under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act and approached the HC for bail after it was denied by the Sessions Court on April 13, 2023. Rejecting his petition in the HC, Justice Umesh M Adiga, said, “The alleged offences are heinous in nature.

Mercilessly, without thinking about his status and position in the society, he has sexually harassed students who were studying in IV and V classes. Guru or teacher are considered as God in this Country and respected like a God. However, because of the alleged behavior of the petitioner, even the parents think twice about sending their girl child to the school. It may spoil the name, fame and future of the said girl students.”

The HC said that it was a heinous crime against society. “It is not a crime against the individual but crime against a society. Due to the alleged threat of the petitioner to spoil the career of the students, so also they were said to be threatened, the students to file a complaint against him and that cannot be a ground for holding that there is a delay in lodging a complaint and on that ground he is not entitled for bail. Looking at the facts and circumstances of the present case, the petitioner does not deserve to be released on bail,” the HC said.

Dispute denied

Recording the submission of the prosecution, the HC noted, “The victims who were minor girls aged between 8 to 11 years have consistently stated before the police as well as the learned Magistrate that the accused was sexually harassing them.

He used to remove his clothes as well as the clothes of the said minor children and inappropriately touched private part of their body and he was insisting the said minor girls to touch private part of his body and he used to threaten them with dire consequences if they complain about this fact or inform this fact to their parents/guardians.”