Chennai: More than six years after a 16-year-old girl died by suicide because police did not accept her complaint against a serving constable who had raped and impregnated her, a mahila court in the city found the cop guilty and sentenced him to life imprisonment.Judge G Prabakaran found the constable, Magesh, 27, who had since been dismissed from service, guilty of raping the minor, coercing her into abortion, refusing to marry her and abetting her suicide. He shall be in jail for the remainder of his natural life, ruled the judge on Monday.According to CB-CID, which took over the case following a Madras high court direction, Magesh befriended the victim in July 2020, at the height of Covid-19 lockdown. Magesh abducted her, confined her in a room at a guest house in Kovalam, and raped her. Later, on learning that she had become pregnant, he coerced her to undergo an abortion by falsely promising marriage.After realizing that she had been cheated, the girl lodged a complaint at MKB Nagar all women police station, but no action was taken. Dejected, the girl died by suicide at her house in Vyasarpadi on Nov 19, 2020. Three days later, MKB Nagar police registered a case on a complaint lodged by the victim’s mother. Following directions from Madras high court on Mar 8, 2021, the investigation was transferred to the CB-CID.The accused was charged with offences punishable under Sections 305 (abetment of suicide of a child) and 366 (kidnapping, abducting or inducing a woman to compel her into marriage or illicit intercourse) of the Indian Penal Code, along with relevant provisions of the Pocso (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) Act.The trial was conducted before the mahila court in Allikulam court campus, with special public prosecutor A M Ravindranath Jeyapaul representing the CB-CID. On Monday, judge Prabakaran found Magesh guilty of the charges and sentenced him to rigorous life imprisonment. A fine of 50,000 was also imposed, and in case the fine is not paid, he shall undergo two years of simple imprisonment.Taking into consideration the mental trauma caused to the victim’s mother, the court awarded her 5 lakh as compensation. This amount is in addition to the compensation from the fine amount and includes any interim compensation already paid. The compensation must be paid by the Tamil Nadu govt within 30 days from the date of receipt of a copy of the judgment, the court said.
