A POCSO Special Court in Thalassery has sentenced BJP leader and former Tripprangotoor Panchayat President K Padmarajan, aged fifty two, to life imprisonment until death for sexually assaulting a fourth grade student in Palathai, Kannur.
The verdict was delivered by Judge MT Jalajarani. It brings to an end a case that had caused major political controversy in Kerala.
The court found Padmarajan guilty under several sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act. These include IPC sections 376 A and 376 B, which deal with rape leading to death or a vegetative state and with gang rape, as well as IPC section 376 sub section 2 clause f, which covers rape by a person in a position of trust or authority. Under the POCSO Act, he was found guilty under section 5 clauses F, L and M, which deal with aggravated sexual assault and repeated offences against a child below twelve years of age in an educational setting.
The punishment includes imprisonment until death under IPC sections 376 A and 376 B. The court also imposed an additional forty year sentence under various POCSO sections, with the direction that he must first undergo twenty years of rigorous imprisonment. A fine of two lakh rupees has also been imposed.
The court ordered that appropriate compensation be provided to the survivor.
The crime took place in January and February of twenty twenty. Padmarajan, who was working as a school teacher, took the ten year old child to the school toilet and assaulted her on three occasions. The girl later confided in her maternal aunt, which led to her mother filing a complaint with the Panoor police on seventeen March twenty twenty. Padmarajan was arrested on fifteen April.
The investigation faced several controversies. The initial probe by the local police and the Crime Branch was criticised heavily. The first chargesheet filed by the Crime Branch did not include the important POCSO sections, which triggered public anger. The case soon became a political issue, with the UDF, the SDPI and sections of the media accusing the ruling establishment of trying to shield the accused.
The girl’s mother later approached the High Court, which led to the formation of a Special Investigation Team. The team was headed by Coastal ADGP E J Jayarajan with DSP T K Ratnakumar. This team carried out a detailed investigation based on scientific evidence and submitted a final chargesheet that included the POCSO sections. This eventually resulted in Padmarajan’s conviction.
