India, March 5 -- A special Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) in Dindoshi has sentenced a 31-year-old man to 10 years' rigorous imprisonment for sexually assaulting a 17-year-old girl who was supplied through a prostitution racket operating from a flat in Andheri (East).

Additional sessions judge Ashwini D Lokhande held that a paying client cannot escape criminal liability if the victim is a minor. "No one is allowed to have sex with a girl below 18 years of age either with or without her consent," the court said.

The court convicted Vinay Fatebahadur Pathak of penetrative sexual assault under POCSO and imposed a fine of Rs.20,000. His co-accused, Renu Ganesh Mishra, was convicted under the Immoral Traffic (Prevent...