India, Nov. 21 -- A special POCSO court has sentenced a 37-year-old doctor to five years' rigorous imprisonment for sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl during treatment at his Govandi clinic in June 2019. While the doctor claimed that he had been falsely implicated due to unsettled medical bills, the court held that the prosecution had proved the charges beyond a reasonable doubt and said the survivor's testimony was "trustworthy and fully reliable".

According to the prosecution, the victim, a Class 9 student, was taken to a clinic in Govandi by her grandmother and aunt on June 2, 2019, after she complained of uneasiness. While she was on IV fluids, Deshmukh touched her chest and moved his hand over her stomach and private parts. When...