A special Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) court in Ahmedabad has sentenced a school autorickshaw driver to five years in prison and imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 after finding him guilty of sexually harassing six children he transported to school.
The accused, Rajkumar Rajput, 55, is from Vastral and was booked by Ramol police after the parents of the children filed a complaint. The children were studying in pre-primary and primary sections and used Rajput’s autorickshaw for their school journeys, according to the report by the Times of India.
Special POCSO judge H N Desai delivered the sentence at the city sessions court. The punishment includes five years’ imprisonment and a Rs 50,000 fine. The fine is to be distributed equally among the six child victims, the court said.
The case places the safety responsibilities of school transport operators at the centre of the court proceedings. The additional public prosecutor told the court that there were six child victims and that Rajput had been entrusted with their care while transporting them. The prosecution described that responsibility as comparable to the duty of a father.
The conviction followed the parents’ complaint and the evidence considered by the court. The available report does not provide details of the specific acts alleged in the complaint, but states that the children were sexually harassed while being transported to school. The case was registered under the POCSO Act, India’s law dealing with sexual offences against children.
The court also considered whether compensation should be ordered for the victims. In its observations, it said the record did not establish that the children had suffered mental or physical damage, or that they had received treatment from a medical, psychological or psychiatric professional. On that basis, the court did not pass a separate compensation order.
However, the court directed that the fine imposed on Rajput be awarded to all six victims in equal proportion. The distinction means the children will receive the amount ordered through the criminal sentence, even though the court did not grant additional compensation under its assessment of the evidence.
The case highlights the direct safeguarding role performed by school transport providers, particularly when young children travel outside the immediate supervision of their parents or schools. In this matter, the vehicle operator was responsible for transporting children from the pre-primary and primary sections, and the prosecution argued that this created a heightened duty of care.
Rajput’s five-year prison term and the financial penalty follow the court’s finding of guilt. The sentence and distribution of the fine are the next formal outcomes recorded in the case, according to the report.
