Kerala court sentences man to cumulative 48-year jail term for raping minor

A Kerala fast track court on Monday sentenced a 25-year-old man to a cumulative total of 48 years of imprisonment for raping his minor niece in 2015 at his residence in Munnar in the high range district of Idukki.

The Idukki Fast Track Court sentenced the man to varying quantum of punishment, the highest of which was 10 years, to a total of 48 years for the offences of rape, molestation and sexual assault under the Indian Penal Code and Protection Of Children from Sexual Offenses (POCSO) Act and crimes under the Juvenile Justice Act.

The court also imposed a fine of Rs 40,000 on the convict and directed the District Legal Services Authority to pay Rs 50,000 to the victim for her rehabilitation, Special Public Prosecutor (SPP) Shijo Mon Joseph, who appeared for the state in the matter, said.

As the sentences have to be served concurrently and the highest of the jail terms was 10 years, the man would serve only 10 years behind bars, the SPP said.

The offences were committed before enhancement of punishments and other amendments in the POCSO Act and therefore, none of the jail terms for the offences committed by the accused exceeded 10 years, the SPP said.

The accused, brother of the victim's mother, was 18-years-old at the time of the offence in 2015 when he raped the then 12-year-old girl at his residence in Anachal area of Munnar in the district when no one was present at home, the SPP said.

While the incident occurred in 2015, the girl revealed it only in 2021 during a counselling session, the prosecutor said.