THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Pocso court here has sentenced a government school teacher, who had accidentally blinded an eye of an eight-year-old student by throwing a pen at him, to one-year imprisonment. Despite other teachers who had witnessed the incident turning hostile, the court found the teacher guilty.
Shereefa Shajahan, a teacher with the government school at Kandala near Malayinkeezhu, was handed the punishment by Judge K V Rajaneesh. The convict has also been slapped a fine of `3 lakh. The case against Shereefa was that she threw a pen at Al Ameen, a class 3 student. The pen hit the student on his left eye and damaged its vision completely. The incident, which occurred on January 18, 2005, had created a huge uproar.
The teacher was miffed that the student was not listening to the class and hence hurled her ball-pen at the student. The pen’s nib penetrated the eye and despite three back-to-back surgeries, sight could not be restored. The teacher was suspended immediately after the incident. However, six months later, she was reappointed in the same school. The student was taken to the government ophthalmic hospital by other teachers.
Three witnesses turn hostile during trial
Upon admission, Shereefa had stated that the injury was caused when a cricket ball hit the eye. However, the boy told the doctor who attended to him about the incident and the doctor recorded it in the case sheet. During the trial, three teachers -- including the headmaster -- who were listed as prosecution witnesses turned hostile.
The court examined scientific evidence including medical records and relied on the statement of Al Ameen and his father to find that the teacher was guilty. Prosecutor Kattayikkonam J K Ajith Prasad argued that the act of Shereefa did not befit a teacher and hence she should be punished for taking an extreme step against the student
The incident at a glance