Pune: A 25-year-old man, who was accused of sexually assaulting his four-year-old stepdaughter, was acquitted by a sessions court on Monday.The court said that the key witnesses like the girl’s teacher, who was the complainant, mother and the girl herself did not support the prosecution’s case. The medico-legal report too was not proved.On Jan 27, 2025, the sessions court had rejected the bail plea of the accused, prima facie observing that the “medical papers were supportive of the prosecution’s case and the allegations were of serious nature involving a minor”.However, the observation was confined to the limited issue of deciding the bail matter and did not involve appreciation of evidence as is done during the trial.During the trial, the court found that the prosecution failed to establish the case beyond reasonable doubt. It noted that although certain documents were exhibited, their contents were not duly proved through their authors and were therefore insufficient to establish guilt.The survivor identified the accused, but did not make any allegation of sexual assault against him during her testimony. The court recorded that the evidence of the survivor, her mother and the informant (teacher) was silent on the allegations forming the basis of the prosecution case.The Bharati Vidyapeeth police had registered the case under IPC and Pocso Act sections on June 14, 2024. The court noted that the prosecution examined six witnesses, including the survivor, her mother and the teacher who had reported the matter. However, all three key witnesses failed to support the case in court.The mother also denied that her daughter had made any allegation against the accused.
