31st May 2023, Mumbai: A special ‘Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act’ (POCSO) court in Mumbai has sentenced a sports trainer for five years imprisonment and imposed a fine or rupees 10,000 for sexually assaulting female students.
The “lagori” trainer, Sameer Raut, was accused of molesting students who were participating in a sports tournament in 2016. A 14-year-old girl had complained to NM Joshi Marg police station that the trainer repeatedly touched her and other girls inappropriately.
Lagori is a traditional sport that is primarily played with two teams and a tower of flat stones or wooden blocks.
The accused was booked by NM Joshi Marg police station under 354A (sexual harassment) and relevant sections of Prevention of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO). On May 30, Additional Sessions Judge SC Jadhav sentenced Raut to 5 years of imprisonment and imposed a fine of rupees 10,000 on him. The court said that if fine is not paid, the imprisonment may extend by 2 months.
The girl had reached out to NM Joshi Marg police station on September 2016 and informed that a trainer Sameer Raut, then 36 years had come to their school in July 2016. The school teachers had introduced him as a trainer who would train them for sports. He would regularly visit the school and train girls. During this period, he would call girl students to his room.
On July 30, he told 15 students to meet him near his residence at Lalbaug as they will be going to Alibaug for Lagori tournament. En route to Alibaug the bus stopped at some places and the girl students would go to washroom. Raut would offer his umbrella to girls and would touch them inappropriately. After reaching Alibaug, again he touched girls inappropriately in swimming pool. The complainant in the case alleged that Raut also touched her inappropriately while they were returning.