Thane, Dec 10 (PTI) A court in Maharashtra's Thane district convicted a man for molesting his two-year-old neighbour and sentenced him to three months of simple imprisonment.

Special (SC&ST) judge AS Bhagwat proclaimed the accused an absconder as he did not remain present before the court after obtaining bail.

Also Read | Maharashtra Assembly Elections: ECI Sets All Doubts at Rest, Says 'No Discrepancies Found in VVPAT Voter-Slips Count'.

He imposed a fine of Rs 500 and sentenced the 38-year-old man to three months of (simple) imprisonment.

"The accused did not remain present before the Court after obtaining bail, and he is proclaimed absconder, and hence his trial was conducted in his absence in view of section 356 (inquiry, trial or judgment in absentia of proclaimed offender) of BNSS, 2023," the court said.

Also Read | Google India Explores AI-Driven Initiatives To Transform Public Services in Himachal Pradesh.

Appearing for the prosecution, advocate Rekha Hiwrale said the victim and the accused were neighbours, and on April 7, 2010, he lured the toddler by offering her a biscuit and took her to his house.

Later, the child's mother heard her cries and went to check on her and found both the victim and the accused naked, she said.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)