Thane court acquits Bakery owner in child labour case

Thane, Oct 07: A man accused of employing child labourers in his Navi Mumbai bakery was acquitted by a Thane court.

In the order of October 3, details of which were made available on Friday, District and Sessions Judge Rachna Tehra said the prosecution had failed to prove the charges against Ikrar Mehndi Hasan Khan (52).

His bakery was raided by police and NGO functionaries on August 8, 2016 and a case under the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act and Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act was registered after two minors were allegedly found working there, as per the prosecution.

The court said the minors had also not supported the case of the prosecution and medical certificates to prove they are underage had not been submitted either.

Moreover, apart from the evidence of police, NGO functionaries and labour department officials, there were no independent witnesses, the court said while acquitting Khan.