Cop gets 5-year jail term for sexually assaulting minor girl

KOCHI: The Ernakulam Additional District and Sessions Court (for the trial of atrocities and sexual violence against women and children) on Wednesday awarded five years of rigorous imprisonment to an assistant sub-inspector who had sexually assaulted a minor girl in 2018.

The prosecution case is that the 48-year-old molested a 17-year-old, a distant relative of his, inside the elevator of a competitive examination coaching centre in the city when she was on her way to attend a class there on the morning of April 28, 2018. The accused was serving as an assistant sub-inspector with the Thalayolaparambu police station at the time.The court found the accused guilty and sentenced him to multiple imprisonment terms that could be undergone concurrently.

He was sentenced to five years rigorous imprisonment under Section 9 (a) (iii) (whoever, being a police officer, commits sexual assault on a child in the course of his duties or otherwise) and Section 9 (c) (whoever, being a public servant, commits sexual assault on a child) of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act.

He was also sentenced to one-year simple imprisonment each under IPC Section 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty) and Section 506 (ii) (criminal intimidation) one-month simple imprisonment under Section 341 (wrongful restraint), and six months imprisonment under Section 323 (voluntarily causing hurt). The incident came to light after the victim lodged a petition and the Central police station registered a case. The accused, a resident of Vaikom, turned himself in before Central CI A Anantalal after the High Court rejected his anticipatory bail plea.