The fast-track special court (POCSO) in Thiruvananthapuram has sentenced a 76-year-old teacher at a tuition centre on charges of aggravated sexual assault of one of his students. The survivor, a minor girl, was sexually abused at the tuition centre in Thiruvananthapuram in February 2023. Judge R Rekha sentenced the convict to 10 years of simple imprisonment and slapped a penalty of Rs 10,000. The conviction and sentencing were based on a case filed at the Thampanoor police station.

According to the case, the incident happened when the classes were underway. The accused told the survivor to read the lessons which he had taught her, and when the survivor made mistakes while reading, the accused touched her inappropriately, which amounted to sexual assault. The girl did not reveal the incident to her family out of fear. Two days later, she told her mother about what had happened at the tuition centre, and a complaint was filed with the police.

The defence put forward the contention that the case arose out of a misconception. It was argued that the girl attempted to run when she was asked to read the lessons repeatedly. The accused then held her hand to stop her from running, and the girl resisted this by pushing him. The defence argued that there might have been an accidental touch when the girl tried to run away. The court observed that if the accused pinched any other body parts like hands and legs, it could be considered as a measure adopted by a teacher to discipline the child. The judge noted in the order that at no stretch of imagination, pinching a private part of the survivor cannot be considered as a course adopted by a teacher to enforce discipline.

Special public prosecutor R S Vijay Mohan and public prosecutor Athiyannur R Y Akhilesh appeared for the prosecution. 15 witnesses were heard, and 16 documents were presented during the trial. Thampanoor SI V S Renjith and SI S Jayasree investigated the case.