MADURAI: The Madurai Bench of the Madras HC recently set aside the death penalty imposed on a man for sexually assaulting and impregnating his minor daughter and instead sentenced him to life imprisonment.
According to the prosecution, the convict sexually assaulted his 13-year-old daughter in an inebriated state, when other family members were asleep in August 2024. He repeated the same on another day the same month, when the victim was alone in the house.
After the child became pregnant, she revealed the incidents to her mother, who lodged a complaint before the local police. She also gave birth to a boy, but the baby died due to complications. The man was later sentenced to death by a special court in Tirunelveli in December 2025.
However, claiming that he has been falsely implicated in the case, the man filed an appeal against his conviction and sentence. Meanwhile, the death sentence was referred to the high court for approval.
Hearing both the referred trial and the appeal, a bench of justices GK Ilanthiraiyan and R Poornima observed that the man’s actions cannot be excused both morally and legally.
They further directed the state government to bear the educational expenses of the victim. The salary earned by the convict in jail would be transferred to a separate bank account in the victim’s name, and her mother would be permitted to withdraw the interest once in three months till she attains majority.