Molestation case: relief for tmc chief

Mumbai: The Bombay high court has given relief to Thane municipal commissioner Sanjeev Jaiswal in a sexual harassment case involving a 15-year-old girl who used to do domestic work in his house. 

A division bench of Justice R.M. Savant and Justice Sarang Kotwal was hearing a petition filed by activist Vikrant Karnik who was seeking that an FIR be registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act against Mr Jaiswal. 

He also said that an investigation needed to be carried out by a woman police officer of the Thane police who is not below the rank of additional commissioner of police. 

The petition alleged that Mr Jaiswal used to call her to his home at night and ask her to massage him. 

When girl refused to do so, her shack was demolished by the anti-encroachment department of Thane, he alleged. 

Mr Karnik has a video clip in which ‘victim’ is stating the entire incident. 

He claimed that he had filed a police complaint and also wrote to the Thane police commissioner seeking a probe into the matter, but appropriate steps were not taken.

On the last hearing, the court had asked Thane ACP Padmaja Chavan to follow the procedure under the POCSO section and record the girl’s statement. 

Accordingly, the police filed a report saying that the girl and her mother had denied the occurrence of the incident. The court then disposed of the petition.