A Mahila Court in Erode has sentenced a 31-year-old man to three years in jail for harassing a Class 8 student in Sathyamangalam in 2023. The court also imposed a fine and recommended compensation for the survivor.
The Mahila Court in Erode sentenced R. Ajay to three years in jail on Friday for harassing a Class 8 student. Ajay, who is from Belavadi in Mysuru district of Karnataka, was staying in a rented house in Sathyamangalam and working as a labourer at the time.
According to the prosecution, Ajay tried to befriend the girl by offering chocolates and expressing his love. When she rejected him, he threatened to tell her parents she was speaking to a boy. On December 11, 2023, he intercepted her on her way home from school and forced her to accept his proposal while threatening to kill her and her parents.
The girl informed her parents, leading to a complaint at the Sathyamangalam All Women Police Station. Police registered a case under the POCSO Act and for criminal intimidation before arresting Ajay. Judge C. Sornakumar sentenced him to three years for harassment and three years for threatening, to run concurrently, along with a fine of ₹10,000. The court recommended that the state government provide the survivor with ₹1 lakh as compensation. Special Public Prosecutor M. Jayanthi appeared for the prosecution.