Kannur: A fast-track court in Taliparamba sentenced a madrasa teacher to 26 years in prison on different counts for molesting an 11-year-old girl for six months.
The vice president of the society that runs the madrasa at Pappinisseri was also charged with suppressing the crime, but the court acquitted him for lack of evidence.
Taliparamba POCSO fast-track court judge C Mujeeb Rahman on Wednesday found madrasa teacher Muhammed Rafi (36) of Udyagiri in Kannur's Alakode guilty on four counts of aggravated non-penetrative sexual assault.
The court sentenced Rafi to a maximum of five years under section 7 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) for sexual assault without penetration, and seven years each under sections 9 (f), (l), and (m) of POCSO for repeated sexual assault on a child under 12 years by a teacher.
"In all, he was sentenced to 26 years in prison but since the sentences will run concurrently, he will have to serve only seven years in prison," said Sherymol Jose, special public prosecutor for sexual crimes against children.
She said the court accepted her argument that the accused was a teacher, that too of a religious school, and the punishment should be exemplary.
"The court awarded the maximum punishment under each of the four sections. It also fined him Rs 75,000," she said.
According to the prosecution, the madrasa teacher had been sexually abusing the Class V student from October 2017 to April 2018.
When the girl's family came to know about the abuse, they approached the vice president of the society that runs the madrasa.
"The vice-president did not act on the complaint for days, forcing the family to directly approach Valapattanam police," said Sherrymol.
The then Valapattanam station house office - inspector M Krishnan charged the madrasa teacher for sexual assault and the vice-president for suppressing the crime.
The prosecution could not prove the charge against the vice president.