Teacher gets 20 years of rigorous imprisonment for sexually abusing autistic boy in Kerala

A court here on Saturday sentenced a teacher to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment for sexually abusing a 10-year-old autistic boy. Thiruvananthapuram Fast Track Special Court Judge Anju Meera Birla found the accused, Santhosh Kumar of Powdikonam, guilty under various provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act and the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Though the court awarded a cumulative sentence of 161 years' imprisonment along with a fine of Rs 87,000 under different sections, it directed that the sentences shall run concurrently, resulting in an effective imprisonment of 20 years. The court also ordered that compensation be paid to the victim, taking into account the mental agony suffered by him. According to the prosecution, the accused exploited the child's condition and sexually abused him in the school bathroom in July 2019. The incident came to light when the parents noticed behavioural changes in the child, who was initially unable to communicate the abuse. The victim later disclosed the incident with the assistance of a speech therapist and also wrote about it in his notebook. Police registered a case and arrested Santhosh Kumar in August 2019. During the trial, the prosecution examined 20 witnesses, produced 37 documents and marked six material objects.