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Journalism of Courage
A Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act court in Kerala’s Kannur district on Saturday sentenced a former local BJP leader to life imprisonment in a 2020 case pertaining to the sexual abuse of a class 4 student.
Kuniyil Padmarajan, 49, was the BJP president of a local panchayat when the incident was reported. The prosecution alleged that Padmarajan sexually abused the girl several times at the school between January and February 2020. The matter came to light in March, when the girl informed the Kerala Childline, after which a police complaint was lodged on March 18. The accused was arrested on April 15.
The case had created a political furore in the state.
When the Crime Branch first submitted a chargesheet against the accused in July 2020, charges pertaining to sexual abuse were dropped. Instead, the accused was chargesheeted for causing voluntary hurt and subjecting a student to corporal punishment.
The prosecution, however, said there were lapses in the police investigation and moved the High Court, which ordered a further probe by a new team. This probe team also landed in controversy when one of its senior officials was purportedly heard saying in an audio clip that the accused was innocent. Subsequently, another probe team, headed by an ADGP, was formed to probe the case.
Ten months after the alleged incident, police again chargesheeted the accused under the POCSO Act.
Advocate P Padmarajan, who appeared for the accused, said an appeal would be moved against the verdict of the POCSO court, and alleged that the “scene of the crime was altered to fabricate evidence”.
