A Thane court has sentenced a senior citizen to three years of rigorous imprisonment for molesting minor girls in a housing complex. 
Special Judge Ruby U. Malvankar convicted the accused, Pratapmal Hansraj Kothari, under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and Section 354 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).&nbsp;
The court&rsquo;s order, dated October 1, was made available on Saturday.
According to Special Public Prosecutor Varsha Chandane, Kothari had molested a 12-year-old girl who was visiting the complex during her Diwali vacation in 2020.&nbsp;
The victim informed her mother, following which a case was registered.&nbsp;
During the investigation, police discovered that the septuagenarian had similarly molested another child in the same locality.
The court relied on the consistent testimonies of the victims and electronic evidence, including CCTV footage, to establish his guilt.
In its order, the court observed, &ldquo;From the facts and circumstances as well as the evidence before the court, it appears that the accused was habitually committing such offences against children in society. His earlier acts went unnoticed, and this incident brought his misconduct to light.&rdquo;
The court further stated that by acting inappropriately with children&mdash;especially young girls&mdash;the accused had lost the respect generally accorded to elders and did not deserve any undue sympathy.
Kothari was sentenced to three years of rigorous imprisonment and fined ₹5,000 for each of the two counts, with the sentences to run concurrently.&nbsp;
The court also directed that the fine amount be paid to the victim as compensation , and referred the case to the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA) for determining additional compensation to the victim.
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Thane court building exterior with justice emblem

Thane court sentences 70-year-old man to 3 years in jail for molesting two minor girls

Thane Court Jails Senior Citizen For Molestation

Thane court sentences 70-year-old man to 3 years in jail for molesting two minor girls

October 4, 2025 | 14:46 IST