2 lady teachers of Patna school awarded prison terms

Alok Mishra

Patna :  A Special POCSO Judge, Patna, Ravindra Nath Tripathy, on July 20, 2018, sentenced to 10 and 7 years rigorous imprisonment to two lady teachers of St Xavier’s High School, Patna, Nutan Joseph and Indu Anand respectively holding them guilty of unnatural sexual exploitation of a five year old girl, an LKG student at the time of crime. The court also slapped a fine of Rs 20,000 on each of them.

The Special Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) court had convicted the two teachers Nutan Joseph and Indu Anand on July 11, 2018. The quantum of punishment was announced on July 20 after hearing arguments of both sides. An FIR was lodged with Mahila Police Station, Patna, against the two teachers by the parents of the girl on November 3, 2016 and they were arrested soon after.

According to the prosecution, the convicts had subjected the girl student to repeated unnatural sexual exploitation. Altogether seven witnesses had deposed before the court from the prosecution side. Similarly, two witnesses had recorded their statements in the court in defence of teachers.