A special court in Tamil Nadu dedicated to cases under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act has delivered a stern verdict, sentencing a man to death for the repeated sexual assault and impregnation of his own 14-year-old daughter. The judgment was pronounced in Tirunelveli on Monday, marking the second capital punishment awarded by a POCSO court in the state within a fortnight.
Gruesome Details of the Assault Emerge
According to police investigations, the convict, a daily wage labourer from Panagudi in Tirunelveli district, had been sexually abusing his minor daughter repeatedly since the beginning of 2024. The victim, a student of Class 10, was taken to a hospital by her concerned mother in January 2025 after noticeable physical changes. Medical examination confirmed the girl was pregnant.
Following the medical confirmation, the mother approached the Valliyoor All Women Police Station and lodged a formal complaint. A case was registered and a thorough investigation was launched. During the legal proceedings, the minor survivor gave birth to a child.
DNA Evidence Seals Convict's Fate
The investigation reached its conclusive phase with forensic evidence. DNA analysis definitively proved that the girl's biological father was the perpetrator of the crime. This scientific evidence played a pivotal role in establishing his guilt beyond any reasonable doubt before the court.
Pronouncing the judgment, Special Court Judge K Suresh Kumar held the man guilty under the stringent provisions of the POCSO Act. The court imposed the death penalty and also levied a fine of Rs 25,000 on the convict.
Compensation for the Survivor and a Pattern of Crimes
In a significant directive, Judge Kumar ordered the Tamil Nadu government to provide a compensation of Rs 10 lakh to the survivor for her rehabilitation and future. This case chillingly echoes another recent verdict from a POCSO court. Just on November 24, a 49-year-old daily wage labourer was similarly sentenced to death for raping his daughter, highlighting a distressing pattern of such crimes within familial settings.
The back-to-back capital punishments underscore the judiciary's severe stance on child sexual abuse, especially in cases of incest and extreme betrayal of trust, under the POCSO Act.
