Malappuram: The Ponnani Fast Track Special Court on Friday sentenced a 60-year-old man to 107 years of rigorous imprisonment (RI) and fined Rs 4.5 lakh for sexually assaulting an 11-year-old boy. The accused, Damodaran alias Mohanan, son of Ezhavathiruthi Kottur Govindan, could face another 6.5 years in prison if he fails to pay the fine. 

The incident happened between April 2012 and July 2016, when Mohanan repeatedly abused the boy, giving him alcohol, money and food. The incident took place at Mohanan's Ponnani-Neythallur residence while no one was around. 

Delivering the verdict, Judge Subitha Chirakkal sentenced Mohanan to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment under Section 4 read with Section 3(a) of the POCSO Act along with a fine of Rs 50,000, with an additional one-year rigorous imprisonment in case of non-payment. He was also charged with other relevant sections of the POCSO Act where he should face a jail term of 80 years and a fine of 3.5 lakhs.  

Additionally, under Section 77 of the Juvenile Justice Act, he was sentenced to seven years of rigorous imprisonment and fined Rs 50,000. The sentence can be served concurrently.

The total fine amount is to be paid to the victim. Additionally, the District Legal Services Authority was instructed to ensure adequate compensation for the survivor.

The case was initially registered by Sub-Inspector Sasiendran Melayil of Ponnani Police Station. The preliminary investigation was conducted by Additional Sub-Inspector A P Chandrasekharan, who arrested the accused. Tirur DySP A J Babu and K M Biju completed further investigation. Special Public Prosecutor K K Suguna appeared for the prosecution. The prosecution examined 17 witnesses and submitted 27 documents as evidence. Assistant Sub-Inspector M C Preetha from the Prosecution Liaison Wing assisted in the trial.

Following the judgment, Mohanan was transferred to Tavanoor Central Jail to serve his sentence.