Alappuzha: A POCSO special court here on Monday acquitted a 45-year-old man who had been arrested on charges of allegedly abusing his minor daughter on her birthday.
Judge Ash K Bal cited “lack of adequate evidence” in the case to acquit Sojan alias John of Chakkalakkal Veettil in Aryankavu, Kollam district.

The Alappuzha South Police had booked the case based on allegations that the man had subjected his daughter, a Class 4 student, to abuse at night after her birthday celebrations. According to the prosecution, the father allegedly molested the child while she was sleeping with her mother. As per the complaint, the girl, in a state of shock, reported it to her school authorities the following day.

In a surprising turn of events, the girl, who initially gave a statement against her father, changed her testimony during the trial. She claimed she had been prompted to provide a false statement against her father at the behest of another woman. Furthermore, the girl's mother testified in favour of her husband.

Based on these statements, the court accepted the defence lawyer’s contention that the prosecution had failed to establish the alleged crime. The accused ran the case using the free legal aid to citizens provided by the Kerala Legal Services Authority in line with the Supreme Court's directive. Alappuzha District Chief Legal Aid Defence Council Adv P P Baiju represented the accused during the trial.