Shimla, May 3 -- A POCSO court in Shimla has sentenced a 46-year-old government teacher to six years in jail for molesting a Class 11 student. The convict, Jai Prakash, alias JP, was serving as an English lecturer in a Shimla government school. ".the convict, being a teacher, was in a position of trust and authority vis-a-vis the victim, who was a minor student of the convict. The act attributed to the convict is not only morally reprehensible but also amounts to gross abuse of the fiduciary relationship between a teacher and a student. Such conduct has a deep and lasting impact on the psyche of a young victim and undermines the sense of safety and trust within the educational institutions. The offence, therefore, assumes a serious character and calls for a stern response," ruled the court while convicting the teacher under Section 10 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. The case dates back to November 2024. A case was registered against the convict on the complaint of the victim's father. As per the complaint, the incident took place on October 26, 2024, during an event held at school. There were no classes that day and students were on the ground for celebrations. The convict asked the 15-year-old victim to bring his belongings from the kitchen room and place them in his office. Acting on the teacher's direction, the girl went to keep the articles in the said office. The convict, however, reached there earlier and molested her. The victim later informed her family about the incident after which the case was registered. The convict, however, had claimed that he was being falsely implicated saying that a month prior he had reprimanded the entire class for 'stealing' the first term English question paper from his locker. The court held that the defence put forward by the accused "does not inspire confidence and is liable to be rejected for being inherently weak, unsubstantiated, and devoid of any connection with the allegations". The court held, that the argument of the accused "....does not furnish any plausible or convincing motive for the victim to falsely implicate the accused in a serious charge of sexual assault, which carries gave social stigma and consequences. It is highly improbable that a minor victim would level such allegations merely on account of a classroom reprimand." Dismissing the plea of accused for lenient view, the court held, "... a lenient view would not be appropriate.. A message needs to be conveyed to the like minded people, particularly the persons in position of authority over minors,that such acts will not be tolerated." The court also imposed a fine of Rs.10,000 on the convict which if realised shall be paid to the victim as compensation. The court also ruled that an additional compensation of Rs.1 lakh is recommended to the victim for the trauma faced by her....