A court in Thane district of Maharashtra has acquitted a man accused of sexually harassing and threatening a 15-year-old girl in 2016 citing lack of evidence.
Special court judge D S Deshmukh passed the order on Monday, but it was made available on Saturday.
Accused Swapnil Shrikant Kambale, 32, was booked under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 354A (sexual harassment of the nature of unwelcome physical contact and advances, 354D (stalking), 506 (criminal intimidation), and under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) Act.
According to the prosecution, the incident had occurred in 2016 and the first information report (FIR) was filed that year on October 14 at the Shreenagar police station in Thane.
The victim, who was a school student at the time, accused Kambale of stalking her, making advances, and threatening her family. The charges were framed on May 4, 2018.
In the judgment, the court said there was a lack of substantial evidence to prove the guilt of the accused and acquitted him from the case.
