A special POCSO court in Tamil Nadu’s Tirunelveli district has sentenced a man to death and awarded 13 and 20 years in prison to two others for the gang rape of a 16-year-old Class 12 student in 2022.
The court found all three accused, Chinnakutty, 27, Muneeswaran, 27, and Murugesan, 27, guilty in the case. Judge Sureshkumar pronounced the sentences on Tuesday.
According to the prosecution case, the girl, who was studying in Class 12 in Tirunelveli, had become acquainted with Muneeswaran from Vilathikulam in neighbouring Thoothukudi district. The two had reportedly been speaking over the phone for around two weeks.
On the day of the incident in 2022, Muneeswaran allegedly told the girl that he would marry her and took her on his motorcycle, telling her that they were going to his sister’s house.
Instead, he allegedly took her to an isolated area and sexually assaulted her. His friends Chinnakutty and Murugesan were allegedly present there and subsequently sexually assaulted the girl.
The Palayamkottai All Women Police registered a case and arrested all three accused.
The court had recently held Muneeswaran, Chinnakutty and Murugesan guilty. They were remanded in custody following the conviction to prevent them from fleeing and to ensure that the survivor and witnesses were not threatened.
The court has now sentenced Chinnakutty to death, while Muneeswaran has been awarded 13 years’ imprisonment and Murugesan 20 years’ imprisonment. Chinnakutty was also facing earlier murder cases, according to the prosecution.
The conviction comes amid the Opposition turning up the heat on the ruling TVK government, alleging a rise in crimes against women and a deterioration in law and order in the state.
Speaking in the Tamil Nadu Assembly on Monday, Chief Minister Vijay attributed the increase in crime to what he described as a “drug abuse culture” allegedly allowed to flourish during the earlier DMK regime.
Vijay said his government was working not merely to ensure that perpetrators were brought to justice, but also to prevent crimes from taking place in the first place.
