Kannur, Nov 15 (IANS) In the case involving the sexual assault of a Class 4 girl at Palathayi in Kerala’s Kannur, former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and teacher K. Padmarajan, on Saturday, has been sentenced to life imprisonment along with fines.

He has also been awarded 40 years of imprisonment under POCSO charges.

The sentence was delivered by the Thalassery Fast-Track POCSO Court.

The court had found Padmarajan guilty on Friday.

The offences proved against him carry punishments ranging from a maximum of 20 years to life imprisonment.

The case had triggered political controversy because the investigation team was changed five times and the interim charge sheet did not include POCSO sections.

Charges against the accused included Section 376AB (rape), and offences under the POCSO Act.

Padmarajan was found guilty of sexually assaulting a 10-year-old girl inside and outside her school at Palathayi in Kannur, on three occasions between January and February 2020.

The complaint against the teacher was handed over to the Thalassery Deputy Superintendent of Police by the Panoor Police.

The initial police investigation had concluded that the complaint was false.

However, there was strong public protest over the failure to act against the accused.

On April 15, 2020, Padmarajan was arrested from a relative’s house where he had been hiding.

The investigation was later transferred to the Crime Branch.

Without including POCSO charges, the Crime Branch filed a charge sheet just hours before the 90-day deadline expired.

After five different investigation teams handled the case, the final charge sheet was submitted in May 2021.

In February 2024, the trial began, and the Thalassery POCSO Court ultimately found the accused guilty.

The prosecution had said on Friday that the survivor received justice on Children’s Day (November 14) and that the accused deserved the maximum punishment.

Before sentencing, the prosecution again urged the court on Saturday to impose the harshest possible penalty.

The defence said that the case was politically motivated.

Padmarajan pleaded for leniency, saying he had a family consisting of his wife, children and mother.

The court responded that it had examined only the merits of the case.

Meanwhile, senior CPI-M leader and former legislator M.V. Jayarajan hailed the court judgment and said there was nothing political in the order.

–IANS

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