T’puram: A fast track special court here on Monday sentenced a 67-year-old man to 10 years rigorous imprisonment and fined him Rs 1 lakh, for repeatedly sexually assaulting his 14-year-old niece.The court, presided over by Judge Anju Meera Birla, directed that the accused undergo an additional two years’ imprisonment if he fails to pay the fine. The court also ordered that the fine amount be paid to the survivor and directed the govt to provide compensation to her.The case relates to an incident on June 12, 2024. The accused, who was the husband of the survivor’s maternal aunt, lived on the upper floor of the same house where the survivor and her family lived. On the day of the incident, the accused had come to the house to give food and medicines to his father-in-law, who lived on the ground floor.While the girl was standing in the hall before leaving for school, the accused sexually assaulted her, the prosecution said. Frightened, the girl disclosed the incident to a friend the same day. Following the friend’s advice, she later informed her mother and teachers. The matter was subsequently reported to Child Welfare Committee (CWC) and police.The prosecution told the court that the accused had sexually assaulted the girl on several occasions earlier as well. The girl had not disclosed the abuse initially, fearing that it would lead to disputes among family members. She decided to reveal the abuse when the assaults continued, the prosecution said.The girl had been adopted by her present parents. As the adoptive parents did not have accurate information regarding her date of birth, the defence disputed her age during the trial and argued that she was an adult and that Pocso Act would therefore not apply.Following an application by the prosecution, the court permitted an ossification test to determine the survivor’s age. The medical examination established that she was a minor, thereby supporting the prosecution case under the Pocso Act.Special public prosecutors R S Vijay Mohan and Surabhi P appeared for the prosecution. Karamana police station SIs Sreejith V S and Vipin R S conducted the investigation.
