Kerala: Former BJP local leader sentenced to life in POCSO case

The Thalassery Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Special Court on Saturday sentenced former BJP local leader and school teacher K Padmarajan to life imprisonment till death for the sexual abuse of a 10-year-old student.

The court also imposed a fine of ₹2 lakh on him. He was awarded a total of 40 years of imprisonment—20 years each for two separate POCSO offences—with the sentences to run concurrently. His bail was revoked and he was shifted to the Thalassery sub-jail.

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The court had earlier found Padmarajan guilty of serious offences under the POCSO Act and described his actions as a “serious sexual assault committed by abusing the trust of the student.”

The charges arose from an incident on March 17, 2020, when Padmarajan, then a teacher at Palathai School, was accused of assaulting a young girl in the school washroom. The Panur police registered a case after a complaint was filed by the victim’s mother.

According to the police chargesheet, Padmarajan sexually assaulted the girl during school hours, leading to his arrest and subsequent trial in the fast-track court.

Public Prosecutor K. Ajith Kumar welcomed the verdict. “The court today has announced its verdict of life imprisonment for the accused. I am very happy as a prosecutor,” he said.

Padmarajan’s counsel, P. Premarajan, disputed the charges and questioned the legitimacy of the case.

In court, Premarajan argued, “This case was fabricated by Islamic organisations. They fabricated evidence against the teacher, who was a BJP sympathiser and the Panchayat Committee President of the BJP at the time. The main reason was a Facebook post by him in support of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), and two months later, a false case was fabricated against him.”

The case has been marked by debates over changes in investigating officers and public uncertainty regarding the seriousness of the inquiry.