T’puram: A 57-year-old man was sentenced to 18 years of rigorous imprisonment and fined Rs 35,000 on Wednesday for repeatedly sexually assaulting his former student.
Fast-track special court Judge Anju Meera Birla convicted the accused Subash Kumar of Thiruvananthapuram. The court has directed district legal services authority (DLSA) to ensure that the fine amount and compensation are paid to the survivor. In default of payment of fine, he will have to serve an additional three and a half years in prison.
The survivor, now an MBBS student, was in Classes V and VI when the offences were committed between 2013 and 2014.
According to prosecution, the accused, who was survivor’s tuition teacher, first sexually assaulted her in 2013 when she was in Class V. The assault continued multiple times until Jan 2014. The survivor eventually stopped attending tuition classes while in Class VI but was terrified to report the matter to her family due to threats issued by the accused.
After completing Class XII, the survivor began exhibiting symptoms of extreme fear, social isolation and panic disorder. Concerned about her behaviour, her family consulted a psychologist. Though medication provided temporary relief, she later secured admission to an MBBS programme and began staying in a hostel.
The case took a turn in 2024 when the survivor encountered a person resembling the accused on the hostel premises. The incident triggered a severe mental breakdown, following which her family sought urgent medical help. It was then that she finally revealed the years-old abuse to a doctor, who informed police.
The prosecution was led by special public prosecutor R S Vijay Mohan and advocate Surabhi P. The probe was conducted by cyber city assistant commissioner Niyaz P and Medical College SI Vishnu P L.
