Overview
- The Thalassery Fast Track Special POCSO Court convicted K. Padmarajan for repeatedly raping a 10-year-old in 2020 and ordered life imprisonment plus two 20-year POCSO terms and fines.
- The court directed that the POCSO sentences be served before the life term and asked the District Legal Services Authority to assess compensation for the survivor.
- Investigations in the Kerala case shifted from local police to the Crime Branch, with multiple probe teams before a final chargesheet in May 2021; the trial began in February 2024.
- BJP state leaders said they will challenge the Palathayi verdict in the Supreme Court, alleging fabrication and lack of scientific evidence; the claim is contested by the prosecution’s case and the court’s findings.
- In Mumbai, a special POCSO court gave a 10-year rigorous imprisonment term to a man for assaulting his 15-year-old relative, citing reliable survivor testimony supported by physical evidence and ordering ₹20,000 as compensation.