27 April 2025 (Punjab Khbarnama Bureau): A man in Kerala’s Kottayam was sentenced to 47 years in prison along with a fine of ₹30,000 for sexually assaulting a minor boy.
The Kottayam Special Fast-track court judge Satheesh Kumar V sentenced 41-year-old Sijomon in the case that was reported in 2024, a news agency PTI report said.
Police said that the case was registered at the Ayarkunnam police station in Kottayam in August last year, alleging that Sijomon had sexually assaulted the boy.
The court found the accused, a native of Vaikom’s Chenakkala, guilty and handed him 47 years of imprisonment, a statement from the police said. In this case, Station House Officer Anoop Jose was the investigating officer and Paul K Abraham was the public prosecutor in the POCSO case.
Just a day earlier, a man was arrested for allegedly abducting a six-year-old girl and attempting to sexually assault her at Delhi’s Gurudwara Nanak Piao.
The incident took place on April 24 when the victim, who had accompanied her mother to the gurdwara, got separated from the woman while she was playing on the premises, an official said.
“An FIR under section 137(2) (kidnapping) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and section 10 (punishment for aggravated sexual assault) of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act has been registered at the Model Town police station. The accused has been arrested and further investigation is underway,” the officer said.
On Friday, a court in Gujarat’s Anand district awarded a ‘double death sentence’ to a man for the rape and murder of a seven-year-old girl in Khambhat tehsil in 2019.
The 29-year-old accused was convicted under section 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code and section 6 (aggravated sexual attack) of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) by Khambhat sessions court judge Parveen Kumar.
The court described the case as the rarest of the rare, awarding the ‘double death penalty’ to the accused as sought by the prosecution. The court also awarded a compensation of ₹13 lakh to the victim’s family.
Summary: Several shocking child abuse cases surface across India, with courts in Kerala, Delhi, and Gujarat delivering strong punishments.