A special court in Thane, Maharashtra, has convicted a man on charges of sexually assaulting and harassing a seven-year-old girl in 2019, but acquitted him of the rape and unnatural sex charges, citing a lack of evidence, reported news agency PTI.

Meanwhile, in the order passed on July 4, Special Court Judge D. S. Deshmukh sentenced Santosh Kashinath Shinde to the time he has already served in jail since his arrest in 2019.

Moreover, the prosecution stated that the incident occurred on August 28, 2019, following which the victim's mother lodged a complaint at the Chitalsar police station in Thane. She alleged that Shinde lured her daughter into his home and engaged in sexual acts with her while she (the mother) was away at work, according to PTI.