The special court for exclusive trial of cases under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act in Sivaganga on Friday convicted and imposed the death sentence on a 45-year-old man for sexually assaulting five minor girls, all aged below 10, in the district.
Court's Verdict and Compensation
Judge R Gokul Murugan also directed the state government to pay a compensation of Rs 7 lakh each to the survivors. The convict, identified as Chandran, a daily wage labourer, is married and has a son and a married daughter.
Details of the Crime
According to the prosecution, a minor girl who was his neighbour used to visit his house to play with his grandchild. When his wife went to leave their daughter and grandchild at her in-law's house, Chandran invited the girl to his house to play with his mobile phone. He offered her snacks and money and sexually assaulted her. Subsequently, he asked her to bring her friends to his house to play with his mobile phone. He sexually assaulted four other minor girls who came to his house on various occasions between 2023 and 2024, and threatened them against revealing the abuse to anyone.
How the Crime Came to Light
The incident came to light when one of the girls, after attending a 'good touch bad touch' awareness programme, told her teachers about their ordeal. In February 2024, the All Women Police arrested the accused after registering a case for offences under the Pocso Act. The police filed the final report before the trial court after concluding the investigation.
Rarest of Rare Case
Considering the seriousness of the offence committed against the minor girls, the judge held that the case falls within the category of 'rarest of rare' and thus imposed the death sentence on the accused for offences under the Pocso Act. A fine of Rs 11,000 was also imposed on him. Special public prosecutor V R Dhanalakshmi appeared for the prosecution in the case.
The verdict has sent a strong message against child sexual abuse, highlighting the judicial system's zero-tolerance approach to such heinous crimes. The compensation awarded aims to support the rehabilitation of the young survivors.
