A teacher has been sentenced to rigorous imprisonment (RI) for 29 years by a Special Fast Track Court for sexually assaulting a first standard girl student. The court here said the offence committed by the teacher was inhumane and barbaric.

"The perverted act of the convict on an innocent young girl of 6.5 years certainly calls for severe punishment and hence I decided to impose it on him," the court said. The child narrated the incident to her parents who lodged a complaint.

The court said a teacher is considered to be the embodiment of knowledge, wisdom and fine qualities of life. "Guru is a friend, a philosopher, guide, social engineer and nation-builder. In Indian philosophy, Guru occupies an exalted and envious position. His influence is not confined to an individual but it extends to families, institutions and education establishments, in fact, in all spheres of life. He imparts knowledge, teaches the values of life, provides guidance and building of the nation itself," the court noted in the judgment.

According to the prosecution, the child, aged 6.5 years at the time of incident, was molested in 2012 by the teacher when he accompanied the students on a study tour from the school.