The Kerala High Court has upheld the conviction and life sentence handed to a former state government employee for abducting and sexually assaulting a 14-and-a-half-year-old schoolgirl over a 45-day span in 2009.
A division bench comprising Justice Raja Vijayaraghavan V and Justice K. V. Jayakumar dismissed the appeal filed by the convict, who previously worked in the Irrigation Department, ruling that the nature of the crime warranted no leniency.
Abduction Under Pretext of Prayers
The court noted that the convict, who was 36 years old at the time of the incident, lured the student under the pretext that participating in specific prayers at a church would earn divine blessings to help her achieve high marks in her Class 10 examinations.
Instead, the accused moved the minor across numerous locations throughout Kerala and Tamil Nadu over approximately 45 days. During this period, he subjected her to penetrative sexual assault against her will by using physical force and threatening her with bodily harm.
Court Rejects Defense and Affirms Verdict
In his appeal, the convict claimed that he had been falsely implicated and asserted that the victim had accompanied him voluntarily. The prosecution countered that the minor had been kidnapped under false pretenses and subsequently assaulted under intimidation.
Rejecting the defense claims as highly improbable, the High Court held that the prosecution had proved the charges beyond reasonable doubt. The bench characterized the victim’s testimony as truthful, natural, and of sterling quality, adding that her statements were fully corroborated by medical evidence.
Observing that the Sessions Judge had properly assessed all oral and documentary evidence before reaching a guilty verdict, the High Court dismissed the appeal as devoid of merit.
