HYDERABAD: A former principal of a school operated by the Union government was sentenced to five years of rigorous imprisonment by a POCSO court at Neredmet for sexually assaulting a 14-year-old Class 9 student inside his office in 2017.
The convict, Kedarnath Mahapatra, was 54 when the incident occurred in October 2017 and is now 64. The incident took place at a school under the Kushaiguda police station limits.
The principal called the girl to his office on the pretext of discussing her co-curricular activity practice. The victim told the court that her classroom was on the first floor while the principal's office was on the ground floor. When she went to collect her bag, Mahapatra called her into his office and asked about her practice sessions.
He offered her a samosa and lassi and, as she was preparing to leave, told her that she was beautiful, that he loved her and that she was different from others. He then asked her to bolt the door. When she was unable to do so, he bolted it himself.
The girl told the court that she became frightened and began crying. She said Mahapatra approached her, put his hands around her waist and kissed her cheeks while hugging her. She pushed him away and tried to open the door. He then asked her to promise that she would not disclose the incident before opening the door.
The girl ran upstairs, collected her bag and returned home. She told her parents about the incident the following day.
Based on a complaint by the girl's mother, Kushaiguda police registered a case and, after investigation, filed a chargesheet before the court.
During the trial, the defence argued that no teacher, staff member or school management representative had been cited in the chargesheet or examined as a witness. Mahapatra denied committing the offence and sought leniency, citing his age, ill health, a brain stroke in 2024 and his wife's health condition. He also said both his children were living outside India.
After the trial, the POCSO court found Mahapatra guilty and sentenced him to five years of rigorous imprisonment.
