Man convicted, sentenced to 3-year imprisonment for molesting former Bollywood actress on flight

A special court in Mumbai on Wednesday convicted a 41-year-old man for molesting a former Bollywood actor on board a domestic flight in December 2017. As per reports, he has been served a three-year prison sentence. Check out the news here

Mumbai: Vikash Sachdeva, who has been convicted for molesting a Bollywood actress on-board a flight has been sent to 3 years of imprisonment by Special Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Court. #Maharashtra https://t.co/BNYxzKLhFw

— ANI (@ANI) January 15, 2020

The court hearing cases under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act held Vikas Sachdev, a 41-year-old consultant, guilty under Indian Penal Code Section 354 (assault or criminal force on woman with intent to outrage her modesty). Sachdeva has been convicted under Section 8 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and Section 354 of the Indian Penal Code (dealing with assault or criminal force used with the intent to outrage a woman’s modesty). He has also been convicted under relevant provisions of the POCSO Act since the actor was a minor when the incident took place. According to India Today, Sachdev and his wife broke down in court when he was convicted. Special Judge A D Deo will pronounce the quantum of the sentence later in the day. In December 2017, the actor alleged she was molested by a co-passenger on board an Air Vistara flight from Delhi to Mumbai. She narrated her ordeal on Instagram via a live video. The victim, in her post, said a co-passenger sitting behind her put up his feet on her armrest. “So, I was in a flight travelling from Delhi to Mumbai today and right behind me one middle-aged man who made my two-hour journey miserable. I tried to record it on phone to understand it better because the cabin lights were dimmed, I failed to get it. The lights were dimmed so it was even worse. It continued for another five to 10 minutes, and then I was sure of it. He kept nudging my shoulder, and continued to move his foot up and down my back and neck,” she said in the video post, following the incident. However, as per the same India Today report, three of the seven prosecution witnesses, of which two were cabin crew members and one was a passenger, claimed Vikas slept through the entire duration of the flight. (With inputs from Press Trust of India)