Kollam (Kerala), March 1 A court here has sentenced a man to imprisonment until death for torturing and sexually assaulting a four-year-old girl.
Special Judge Aravind B Edayodi of the Punalur Fast Track Court (POCSO Act Cases) awarded the sentence and a fine of Rs 5 lakh to Kalaivanan Kamaraj, a native of Nagapattinam currently residing in Kacheri here, on Friday.
The court sentenced the accused to life imprisonment and a fine of Rs 5 lakh under Section 6 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act for aggravated sexual assault.
The accused was also sentenced to prison terms under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, with all sentences to run concurrently.
The prosecution's case is that the victim was residing with her mother and the accused in a rented house. Between May 12 and June 15, 2023, the accused attacked the child, causing burn injuries to her chest and legs with burning cigarette butts, and sexually assaulted her, according to the prosecution's case.
The incident came to light when a Junior Public Health nurse from an Urban Primary Health Centre visited the family, noticed the victim's injuries, and informed Childline authorities. The child and her sister were subsequently shifted to a Child Care Institution, and the Kollam West Police arrested the accused following a preliminary investigation.
The court observed that the victim was below five years old at the time of the offense and that the accused had repeatedly inflicted physical harm.
The court further noted that the accused manipulated the mother by claiming a spirit would enter her, harassing the victim under the guise of "deliverance" from an evil spirit.
"There was a long and repeated abuse that shocks the judicial conscience," the court said.
The trial included the examination of 24 witnesses and 27 documents.