CHENNAI: Sending a strong message to sex offenders, especially those targeting children, a special court for
Pocso cases sentenced four men to life in prison, with no scope for remission, in the Ayanavaram child rape case.
Four days after finding 15 of the 16 accused guilty of the rape of a 11-year-old girl at a residential complex at Ayanavaram, the special court for Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act cases here sentenced the others to jail terms ranging from five to 14 years.
Special judge R N Manjula also directed the state government to provide compensation of Rs 1.5 lakh to the survivor. The special judge said: “The agony suffered by the victim cannot be compensated by anything. But one good lesson the survivors of sexual offences can learn is — resilience is what life is all about.”
The judge sentenced Ravikumar, 58, Suresh, 32, Abishek, 23, and Palani, 40, to imprisonment till death.
‘Pre-emptive awareness better than punishment to prevent child rape ’They were sentenced for offences punishable under Sections 6 (aggravated penetrative sexual assault) and 5(g) (gang penetrative sexual assault on a child) of Pocso Act read with Section 376 ab/db (punishment for gang rape/rape of girl under 12 years) of IPC. Rajasekar, 40, has been sentenced to life for offence under Section 6 of Pocso Act with entitlement for premature release.
Noting that society believes that only stringent punishment can reduce sexual offences against children, the judge said, “But awareness which comes before any occurrence can also prevent such offences than the punishment which comes after the occurrence.”
It would serve the interest of children of both sexes if they are rightly informed and sensitised about gender equality and the concerns of gender discrimination early in life, the judge added.
The rape perpetrated by lift operators, electricians and plumbers of the residential apartment complex where the child lived came to light on July 13, 2018, only when her parents approached the Ayanavaram all-women police. Based on the complaint, police arrested 17 men on the charge of sexually assaulting the victim for more than seven months.
While one person — Erald Bross, 58 — got seven years of rigorous imprisonment, Sugumaran, 60, Murugesan, 54, Paramasivam, 60, Jayganesh, 23, Deenadayalan, 50, Jayaraman, 26, Surya, 23, Raja, 32, and Umapathy, 42 — were sentenced to five years of rigorous imprisonment.
The court, which found the 15 guilty on Saturday, announced the quantum of sentences on Monday. A lone gardener, Gunasekaran, 55, was acquitted. Another accused, Babu, 36, died during the pendency of trial.
Special judge Manjula withheld the details of the survivor in her judgment to ensure her identity is protected, and recorded the concerns of the families of the accused as well. “It is submitted by counsel for some of the accused that the families of the accused got shattered due to the wide publicity given for the case. This kind of occurrences would descend as calamities not only in the families of the victims but also in the families of the accused,” she said.
Though the law does not intend to punish family members of the accused, after the conviction of the accused, their families also fall into the vulnerable group in society. They have no restorative remedy in law, but their human rights should not be violated, she added.
(The victim's identity has not been revealed to protect her privacy as per Supreme court directives on cases related to sexual assault).
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