JUDGMENT :

1. Appellant has questioned correctness of Judgment and Order dated 24th June, 2019 passed by the learned Special Judge, under the POCSO Act, Greater Mumbai in POCSO Special Case No.158 of 2016, convicting him for the offences punishable under Section 506 of the Indian Penal Code (for short, “the IPC”) and under Sections 4, 6, 8 and 12 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offcences Act, 2012 (for short, “the POCSO Act”) and is sentenced to suffer maximum rigorous imprisonment for 15 years under Section 6 of the POCSO Act and to pay a total fine amount of Rs.56,000/-.

2. Heard Smt. Patil, learned Advocate for the Appellant and Smt. Kaushik, learned APP for the Respondent-State. Perused entire record.

3. The victim in the present crime was aged about 5 years on the date of lodgment of the crime and with a view to protect her identity and in consonance with the provisions of Section 228(A) of the IPC and Section 33(7) of the POCSO Act, the detailed narration of the facts and other details disclosing identity of the victim and/or her mother are hereinafter avoided.

4. The prosecution case in nutshell is that, the Appellant was neighbour of the informant i.e. the mother (PW