A city court on Saturday awarded one-year imprisonment to a former teacher of the Delhi School of Music for molesting a minor student five years ago.

Metropolitan Magistrate Geetanjali Goel, rejected the teacher Dilip Soloman’s plea that he be released on probation, noting that the move would send out a wrong signal to the society.

The court convicted Soloman under Section 354 (assault or criminal force on a woman with intent to outrage her modesty) and Section 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) of the Indian Penal Code.

The court, while pronouncing its order, relied on the testimony of the victim and ruled that the defence allegation that the girl had a motive to implicate could not be proven.

According to the prosecution, Soloman had molested the student on February 27, 2004 and March 19, 2004 during the lessons. She then told her mother about it and her parents lodged an FIR at Chanakyapuri police station. An in-house inquiry conducted by the music school reportedly went in favour of the accused.

The family then moved the Delhi High Court, which ordered a re-investigation. During the hearing, the child testified against the accused while Soloman had pleaded innocence.