Ahmedabad: A 69-year-old grocery store owner was sentenced to 14 years in jail for molesting a 7-year-old girl belonging to the scheduled caste and using double entendre. A sessions court in Viramgam awarded punishments for various offences under the Indian Penal Code (IPC), Pocso Act, and the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, ordering him to serve the sentences consecutively.In this case, Ghanshyam Patel of Trent village in Mandal taluka of Ahmedabad district was booked under the provisions of the IPC, Pocso Act, and the SC/ST Act on Aug 12, 2018. This occurred after a 7-year-old girl complained that the old man used double-meaning sentences, held her hand, and tried to touch her body when her mother sent her to buy insecticide chalk at the grocery store.At the trial, Patel claimed innocence, stating no previous complaints existed against him. He contended that despite his shop’s central location, no independent witnesses were presented. He alleged the victim’s family owed him money, and the accusations emerged when he demanded repayment.However, Additional Sessions Judge A M Varma found him guilty after evaluating evidence placed before the court by the prosecution. The court turned down the request for leniency and stated that Patel knew the victim well and took advantage of the situation. The court said, “Considering the submissions of both sides and the facts of the case, there is a huge age difference between the victim and the accused, and a man with such a mentality is not entitled to leniency.“The court awarded punishment of three years under IPC Section 354(a)(i); three years under Section 354(a)(ii); five years under Section 8 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act; and five years under Section 3(i)(w) of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.After fixing the quantum of punishment, the court ordered all the sentences to run consecutively under the provisions of Section 31(2) of the CrPC. However, the bar under Section 31(2)a was applied, not letting the term exceed 14 years.