SASIKUMAR MURUGAN Vs. STATE

JUDGEMENT

(1.) This criminal appeal has been preferred against the judgment passed by the learned Sessions Judge, Special Court for Exclusive Trial of Cases under the POCSO Act, Chennai in S.C.No.324 of 2018 dtd. 22/3/2021, convicting and sentencing the appellant to undergo imprisonment for life and to pay a fine of Rs.50,000.00, in default to undergo three months rigorous imprisonment for the offence under Sec. 6 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012.

(2.) The case of the prosecution is that prior to 16/10/2017, when the victim girl, aged 16 years, residing at No.1, Krishna Nagar 5 thStreet, Nerkundram, Chennai along with her parents and studying 10thStandard, was alone at home, the accused residing as a tenant in the house of the victim for about three years, approached the victim girl often with love proposal and the promise of marrying her and thereafter continuously enticed her and compelled her to have sexual intercourse with him, due to which the victim became pregnant. When the family members asked the victim about the cause of conceivement, she consumed toiletry acid and when she was admitted in the hospital for treatment, she delivered a stillborn child.

(3.) Based on the complaint, Ex.P8 given by the victim girl at the hospital on 16/10/2017, the respondent Police registered a case in Crime No.1845 of 2017 for the offence punishable under Sec. 6 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 against the accused. On completion of the investigation, the respondent Police laid the final report before the Mahila Court, Chennai against the accused for the offence punishable under Sec. 6 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012, which was taken on file in S.C.No.324 of 2018 and thereafter, the same was made over to the learned Sessions Judge, Special Court for Exclusive Trial of Cases under the POCSO Act, Chennai, for disposal.