KOCHI: Convicting a 50-year-old woman in a case pertaining to the repeated rape of her 16-year-old daughter, a court here said the mother, who was bound to protect her child, exploited her and spoiled her life taking advantage of the absence of the girl’s father who is bed-ridden.
The Ernakulam Additional District and Sessions Court (for the trial of cases relating to atrocities and sexual violence against women and children) convicted the woman native of Kayanadu in Muvattupzha and her friend Arun Kumar, aka Arun Thomas, 36, of Vazhakulam of the incidents which occurred in 2017. The court sentenced the woman to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs 50,000, and Arun Kumar to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs 2 lakh.
The girl was raped on several occasions between March 2017 and August 2017. Arun Kumar used to visit the house of the victim at Kayanadu regularly. He had also taken the girl to a lodge at Pallivasal in Idukki district on April 24, 2017 in his car once and sexually assaulted her. The probe found that the girl’s mother had assisted and abetted the rape.
“Though she had given birth to the girl and she was expected to protect the daughter, she has been proved to be instrumental in exploiting and spoiling the life of her daughter by a stranger taking advantage of the absence of her father in the house and also his disability,” the court observed, adding that the mother deserved no leniency considering the gravity of the offence committed by her.
The convicts were found guilty under different sections of IPC, Pocso Act and Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act. After realising the fine amount from the convicts, it shall be paid to the victim, directed judge K Soman.
The court said all sentences shall run concurrently and the period of detention already undergone by the convicts would be included in the period of imprisonment handed to them. The case was registered by Ramamangalam police. Special Prosecutor P A Bindu and lawyer Sarun Mankara appeared for the prosecution.