Cricket coach denied bail in 13-year-old girl sexual assault case amid IPL 2026
Safety for Women has been a growing concern in recent times, and cricket has also not been spared from its effects. In one such offence, one of the local cricket coaches from Mumbai has been accused of sexually assaulting a 13-year-old trainee and has been rebuked by a special court, as per a report from PTI.
Women's safety has been a growing concern across all regions in India. The women are not only unsafe on the roads, but the concern has heightened as they have been harassed at workplaces, educational institutions, coaching institutes, and more.
One such humiliating incident caught the internet's attention when Australian women's cricketer Ashleigh Gardner and her wife were being chased by some hooligans on their bikes when the couple wished to take a stroll through the city. This had gathered worldwide attention and was a moment of disgrace for the nation.
Local cricket coach accused of Sexually assaulting a girl trainee
One of the women's cricket training facilities in Mumbai faced a treacherous truth as one of their coaches was accused of having sexually assaulted a 13-year-old girl trainee on multiple occasions.
As per the prosecution's statements, the girl alleged that the accused sexually assaulted her when she was attending cricket coaching. The girl, being a minor, found the man being booked under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
The prosecution brought to light the physical trauma to the child following the repeated act and submitted all medical reports and promptly filed the FIR. The prosecutor opposed the bail further, claiming that the accused had tried to interfere with the prosecution's evidence by tampering with the CCTV cameras of the designated area.
Defence counsel claimed 'Not Guilty' despite evidence tampering charges
The accused, as per the Indian law, would get a fair chance to defend himself, and hence the defence counsel made a similar move; however, it seemed irrelevant. The counsel argued that his client is innocent and the victim has lodged a false complaint.
He also mentioned that since the lodging of the complaint, the accused has been in custody for the past eight months. He claimed that he is the sole breadwinner of the family that consists of starving parents.
The standpoint of the defence seemed clear: the accused was not guilty, and the rest was left for the Special Court to decide.
Special court rebukes the coach, cites him as an antisocial element
A special court on Thursday, under judge Surekha Sinha, heard the case under the POCSO Act and denied the accused coach bail, citing a possibility of the accused indulging in a similar crime that could ruin the lives of several more minor girls.
The POCSO is one of the harshest sections in our judiciary, and the judge, too, on hearing the statements and claims from both parties, noted that the nature of the crime was serious and also acknowledged the prosecution's claims of the accused tampering with the evidence.
“If, in this situation, the accused is released on bail there are chances of repetition of crime with minor girls and also absconding of the accused,” the court said, adding that in this situation, it is not just and proper to release him on bail.
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