Overview
- The Thalassery Fast-Track POCSO Court convicted K. Padmarajan for sexually assaulting a Class 4 student and imposed life imprisonment along with fines.
- The court also ordered rigorous imprisonment terms of 20 years each under POCSO sections 5(f) and 5(l) and directed that these be served before the life term.
- Prosecutors presented 40 witnesses, 77 documents and 14 material exhibits, with the court citing the child’s testimony and corroboration as key to the verdict.
- The abuse occurred multiple times between January and February 2020, including in the school toilet and at the accused’s residence, according to the prosecution.
- The case was first reported to Childline in March 2020, the accused was arrested on April 15, and a later ADGP-led probe filed the final chargesheet after initial charges were weakened and bail was granted.