The victim had met Sharma for the first time that evening after a colleague shared his profile with her. Sharma denied the charges, claiming that the woman had consented and suggested going to the nursing room. His defence argued that she voluntarily engaged with him but got upset after he remarked about her bad breath. Rejecting the defence, the court found Sharma guilty, with the prosecution describing the sexual exploitation as "extremely high" and the intrusion "intense and prolonged". His lawyer sought a lighter sentence of three to three-and-a-half years with fewer cane strokes, but the court accepted the prosecution's call for at least four years and six strokes.