HYDERABAD: A special POCSO court in Rangareddy district on Wednesday convicted a gymnastics and karate coach and a private school principal in a 2019 case involving the sexual assault of a three-and-a-half-year-old girl at a preschool in Miyapur.
The Special Judge for Trial and Disposal of Rape and POCSO Act Cases, Rajendranagar, sentenced coach Kura Kiran Sai to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 20,000. The court also convicted the school’s principal, Chilakamukku Deepika, and sentenced her to three years of simple imprisonment with a fine of Rs 1,000.
The case was registered at Miyapur police station on June 27, 2019, based on a complaint lodged by the child’s father. The girl began displaying unusual behaviour, complained of pain and refused to attend school, telling her parents that a male instructor had sexually abused her.
On June 20, 2019, when the school van arrived late, Sai took the child to the gymnastics room on the top floor of the school. In the absence of other staff or students, he took her to a corner of the room and sexually assaulted her. When the child cried out, Sai left her on the ground floor and fled the spot.
Police said Deepika’s negligence had enabled Sai to commit the aggravated penetrative sexual assault on the school premises. Based on the complaint, a case was registered against both accused.
During the investigation, the investigating officer arrested both of them and submitted a chargesheet before the court. Following a full trial, the court found them guilty and pronounced the sentences.