A college student in Madhya Pradesh, accused of molesting a minor girl, has been granted two months' bail with the bail conditions including community service at a hospital.
The student was arrested on April 4 after the girl's parents filed a complaint with the police. He was accused of continuously harassing their daughter through WhatsApp messages, stalking her, and making vulgar phone calls.
The case was filed under the Protection of Children Against Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, which carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
In his bail order on May 16, Justice Anand Pathak acknowledged that the allegations against the accused were "ugly" but said he deserved a chance to correct his course.
The court granted the student bail for two months, citing his "apparently good family background". As a condition of his bail, the student must perform community service at the Bhopal District Hospital every Saturday and Sunday from 9 am to 1 pm.
As per the court order, the student will be required to "render his services" at the hospital, assisting patients and doctors in the external department. This condition will apply regardless of the outcome of the trial.
According to an Indian Express report, the court, setting out the conditions for his community service, said: “He will neither be allowed to go to the operation theatre nor to the private wards nor will he be allowed to administer any kind of medicine or injection etc to the patients. He will not cause infection or discomfort to the patients in any way and the doctors will ensure this so that the applicant plays the role of a helping hand for the said hospital and does not cause any inconvenience to the patients or doctors/hospital administration by any of his actions.”
The student's parents had submitted to the court that their son's studies were ongoing and that punishment would ruin his career. They also apologised for their son's actions. The next hearing in the case is scheduled for July 22.
This comes amid outrage over another case involving a minor who allegedly crashed his Porsche car into two techies in Pune, leading to their death. The Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) of Pune had granted bail to the minor boy on conditions that he write an essay on road accidents and assist RTO officers in studying traffic rules.
The decision was widely criticised as being too lenient. The minor's bail was later cancelled by the JJB and he was sent to a rehabilitation home till June 5. Police are investigating the case.
