The Thiruvananthapuram Fast Track Special Court on Monday sentenced a woman to rigorous imprisonment for 40 years and six months for abetting the sexual abuse of her seven-year old daughter.
Special Judge Rekha R. pronounced the verdict after finding the 42-year old accused guilty for various crimes committed against the youngest of her two daughters under the Pallikkal police station limits between March 2018 and September 2019.
The accused has been sentenced to undergo rigorous imprisonment for 20 years each and to pay fines of ₹10,000 each under two provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act that pertain to abetting of penetrative sexual assault on a child aged below 12 years repeatedly; and rigorous imprisonment for six months under Section 21 (failure to report the offence) of POCSO Act.
Default of the payments of fine in the first two offences would result in additional imprisonment for two months each. The sentences shall run concurrently, the court ruled.
According to the prosecution led by special public prosecutor R.S. Vijay Mohan, the survivor had been subjected to abuse by her mother’s partner Sisupalan of Madavoor with whom they moved in after leaving her husband who suffered from mental ailments. Sisupalan, 58, the first accused in the case, had committed suicide during the course of the trial.
While the child revealed her ordeal to her mother, she was warned not to disclose the incident to anyone else. The prosecution also proved that the child had been sexually assaulted in the mother’s presence. It later came to light that Sisupalan had sexually abused the accused’s elder daughter too, whom she had in a previous marriage.
The accused, who subsequently left Sisupalan, soon began to reside with another man, who also allegedly abused the survivor. The particular case is currently being heard by the court. Both cases came to light soon after the children were shifted to the children’s home.
Dismissing the defence’s plea for leniency, the court held the mother responsible for shattering the childhood of the survivor and depriving her a family environment. Her acts were unpardonable and a blot on motherhood.
The prosecution examined 20 witnesses and presented 27 exhibits.
