In Pune, a 70-year-old retired government employee was sentenced to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment and fined Rs 10,000 by the special judge K P Kshirsagar for sexually assaulting a seven-year-old schoolgirl at a construction site on October 31, 2019. The court noted that the victim, then a second-grade student, provided rational answers and was deemed reliable and trustworthy by the judge. The accused lured the victim to accompany him by walking with his pet dog and was convicted of kidnapping, sexual harassment, and aggravated sexual assault. The sentences for these charges will run concurrently. The court did not award a separate punishment for rape under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, directing compensation for the victim instead. Judge Kshirsagar emphasized the lack of motive for false implication and the strong and unblemished testimony of witnesses supporting the case against the elderly man. The victim's prompt disclosure, the immediate registration of the FIR, and medical evidence of sexual assault further solidified the prosecution's case.The prosecutor, Nitin Konghe, thoroughly questioned 10 witnesses, including the victim and her mother, in order to establish the accused's guilt. The prosecution requested the harshest punishment possible for the accused due to his involvement in a serious crime.