The Ernakulam Additional Sessions Court on Wednesday awarded seven years of rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of `40,000 on Sudheer, father of the victim and prime accused in the fifth case of Paravoor sex scandal. The court has already awarded him life imprisonment in other cases related to the scandal.
P G Ajith Kumar, Judge, Additional Sessions Court, convicted the first accused, third accused Khadeeja, of Puthenkottackal Ramarath House, Chambukidambu Kara, Kodachery Village, Kozhikode; and sixth accused Wilson, of Plavara House, Chenathunadu, Chalakkudy. Fifth accused Jawahar, of Kannankukkath House, Edathruthy, is absconding in the case.
Second accused Subaida, mother of the victim, and fourth accused Zeenath, of Puthuval House, Kakkazham, Alappuzha, were found not guilty in the case. The father of the accused was sentenced to rigorous imprisonment for seven years and imposed a fine of `20,000 with default sentence of rigorous imprisonment of six months under Section 366(A) of the IPC and rigorous imprisonment of seven years and fine of `20,000 with default sentence of rigorous imprisonment of six months under Section 372 of the IPC.
Third accused Kadeeja was awarded rigorous imprisonment for seven years and fine of `20,000 with default sentence of rigorous imprisonment of six months under Section 366 of the IPC, and rigorous imprisonment of seven years and fine of `20,000 with default sentence of rigorous imprisonment of six months under Section 372 of the IPC.
Sixth accused Wilson was sentenced to rigorous imprisonment for seven years and to pay a fine of `20,000 with default sentence of rigorous imprisonment of six months under Section 373 of the IPC and rigorous imprisonment of seven years and fine of `20,000 with default sentence of rigorous imprisonment of six months under Section 376(2)(g) of the IPC. The period of substantive sentence shall run concurrently. The fine amount shall be paid to the victim as compensation.According to prosecution, on December 31, 2009, Jawahar and Wilson paid `10,000 to the first accused for the victim and third accused Kadeeja, the agent, was paid `1,000.
Jawahar and Wilson took the girl to ‘Stay Kochi’ hotel at Palarivattom and sexually abused her. Since the victim was aged below 16 years on the said day, her consent was irrelevant.
The court acquitted her mother as she was unaware of this and got to know of this only when the victim told her. Similarly, Zeenath was only present with Kadeeja and did not have any hand in the offence. C P Mohan Menon and Ayub Khan were present for prosecution, while Suraj Krishan appeared for the fourth accused who was acquitted. The court observed that the plight of the victim, gravity of the offence and social impact of the crime were relevant while fixing the punishment.
“The first accused is none other than the father of the victim. He sold his daughter for sex trade. The third accused is a woman and mother. She helped the first accused sell the victim knowing that she was of tender age. Certainly, the offence committed by the sixth accused is of a serious nature. The societal confidence can be kept uneroded only by awarding appropriate sentence,” the court observed.