CHENNAI: The special court for the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POSCO) Act cases on Monday sentenced 13 people including a city police inspector, a BJP functionary, two government servants and a media person to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment for forcing a 13-year-old girl into prostitution and raping her. Eight others were awarded life imprisonment. One of the accused, S Mareeswaran, died during trial.
The heinous crime came to light after the child’s mother lodged a police complaint that her niece had illegally detained the girl. Police conducted inquires and 26 people were booked under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and the Immoral Trafficking (Prevention) Act in November 2020. Of them, 22 were arrested, including eight of the girl’s relatives, who had forced her into sex work, exploited her and lived off the earnings. Four people are still at large.
It was the arrest of the BJP functionary, G Rajendran (44), who ran an agro-foods business in Old Washermenpet, that revealed the involvement of the then Ennore police inspector C Pugazhenthi (45) in the crime. The prosecution had contended that Rajendran and Pugazhenthi had gangraped the minor. Pugazhenthi was booked under the POCSO Act for penetrative sexual assault. The All Women Police, Washermanpet had booked 14 others for raping the trafficked minor girl.
Girl to get Rs 10L compensation
They included P Kameshvara Rao (33), a Railways Technician, SBR Kannan (53), who was employed at the TN Civil Supplies department, mediaperson A Vinobaji (39) and retired Madras Veterinary College professor C Raja Sundaram (62).
The special judge M Rajalakshmi noted that the very purpose of the enactment of the POCSO Act would not be served if the accused are relieved as customers of prostitution, ignoring the fact that the surviviour is a child. The court also awarded a compensation of over Rs 10 lakh to the child. The trial began on August 4, 2021.