55-year-old Shankar Tadvi, a laborer, was sentenced to 4 years of imprisonment for molesting a minor girl in Sankheda taluka of Chhota Udepur district in July last year. Tadvi was working in Sankheda when he lured the 4-year-old girl out saying that he was going to take her to meet her uncle on 6 July 2018. He was drunk when he lured the girl to the crematorium of the village and undressed her. He even forced the girl to consume alcohol and touched her inappropriately. Tadvi fled the scene when he saw the minor's mother but he was caught by the police. He was booked under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses (POCSO) Act. The court ordered 4 years of imprisonment under POCSO and 3 years of imprisonment because of molestation. The court of additional sessions judge Al Sheikh delivered the sentence after holding marathon hearings within a period of 5 months.    

Author-Sweta Joshi