Pune Court Sentences Man to 16 Years in Prison for Rape Under POCSO Act
Pune, 15th March 2025: In a significant judgment, the Pune District and Sessions Court has sentenced Sachin Ashok Kharade to a total of 16 years in prison for raping a minor girl under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act of 2012. The incident occurred in December 2017, when Kharade, aged 26, forcibly entered the victim’s home in Urali Kanchan, Pune, and committed the crime.
Kharade was convicted under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the POCSO Act. He was sentenced to one year in prison and fined Rs 5,000 under IPC Section 354 (hssault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), five years of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs 10,000 under IPC Section 452 (house-trespass after preparation for hurt, assault or wrongful restraint), and ten years in prison with a fine of Rs 10,000 under POCSO Section 6 (punishment for aggravated penetrative sexual assault).
The case was investigated by Assistant Police Inspector Shrikant Ingawale, and the prosecution was handled by public prosecutor Nitin Konghe and Police Constable Lalita Kanwade. The court’s decision has been welcomed by law enforcement officials, with Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone 5) Dr. Rajkumar Shinde awarding a cash prize of Rs 10,000 to API Ingawale and Constable Kanwade for their diligent work on the case.
