Wrestling coach who molested school kids gets 5-year jail: Key takeaways from verdict | POCSO

A lagori and wrestling coach in one of Mumbai's schools was sentenced to a rigorous 5-year imprisonment by POCSO court.

The school coach who took students to a resort in Raigad on the pretext of a state-level competition was found guilty of sexually assaulting them.

Quashing the 42-year-old coach's claims of being falsely accused, Special Judge Seema C Jadhav in her verdict noted, 'no parent would put their daughter's reputation at stake and despose falsely about sexual abuse'

She further stated that the act of making students touch his private parts or touching their chest was not coaching but sexual assault.

In August 2016, an anonymous complaint was raised by the victims' parents but no action was taken. They, then wrote to the city police commissioner and the FIR was registered one month later in September 2016.

On the delay in lodging the FIR, Jadhav said, 'the fact that an anonymous complaint disclosing the act of sexual assault of various students was sent to police shows the issue was raised, discussed and was not unattended'

The coach who has been found guilty of assaulting five girls used to teach the students lagori, wrestling kabaddi and other games at a Mumbai school. He took them to a resort, saying that the competition for which they had travelled was cancelled, the victims said.