A court on Saturday sentenced a school teacher, who was also an activist for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), to life imprisonment for the rape of a 10-year-old girl in Palathayi. The Thalassery Fast Track Special Court Judge, Jalarajani MT, found Padmarajan K alias Pappen Master (48), a resident of Kadavathoor, guilty of repeatedly sexually assaulting the minor between January and February 2020 while he was working as a teacher at a local school.
The court imposed a life sentence and a fine of ₹1 lakh under IPC Section 376AB (rape of a girl below 12 years). He was also sentenced to 20 years' rigorous imprisonment and a fine of ₹50,000 each under sections 5(f) and 5(l) of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. The court directed that the POCSO Act sentences be served first, prior to the life term. The fine amount is to be paid to the victim, and the District Legal Services Authority was instructed to conduct an inquiry to recommend appropriate compensation. Despite Padmarajan seeking leniency, claiming he was the sole breadwinner, the prosecution successfully argued that the nature of the crime warranted strict punishment. He has since been shifted to Kannur Central Prison.
According to the prosecution, the 10-year-old student was sexually assaulted by Padmarajan in the educational institution's toilet and at his residence. Panoor police initially registered a case on March 17th, 2020, and arrested the accused on April 15th. The BJP had alleged that the case was part of a conspiracy orchestrated by the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI). The case was later transferred to the Crime Branch, which initially omitted POCSO charges, enabling the accused to secure bail. Following serious concerns raised by the victim’s family, the Kerala High Court intervened and ordered a fresh probe.
The investigation team was changed twice due to dissatisfaction with the probe's quality, before a fifth team, led by Additional Director General of Police EJ Jayaraj, finally completed the investigation and filed a charge sheet. A total of 42 witnesses and 91 documents were examined during the trial, which commenced in February of last year.
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