Madurai: Headmaster sentenced to 55 years for sexually abusing 22 girls

Mangalore Today News Network

Madurai, September 20: A government school headmaster in Madurai district of Tamil Nadu was sentenced to 55 years rigorous imprisonment after he was found guilty of sexually abusing 22 girls. The Special Court fined S Arockiasamy is suspected of sexually abusing 91 boys and girls of the school in backward Podhumbu village.

The court asked Arockiasamy to pay a fine of Rs 12,32,500 in a case of sexual abuse of 22 girl students. Five of these girls belong to the Scheduled Castes, The Hindu reported.

Additional district judge R Shanmugasundaram found Arockiasamy guilty under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and Tamil Nadu Women Harassment Act. “For a special court for cases of atrocities against Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, giving 50plus years of imprisonment to a convict and making the convict pay fine to his victims is a first in the country,” said a beaming public prosecutor P Parimaladevi as reported by the Times of India.

Seven years ago, one of the headmaster’s victims’ mother Panju mustered the courage and approached the police which resulted in headmaster’s conviction. “Unfortunately, she is not alive to savour the victory after the verdict was announced,” Parimaladevi said.

Three other teachers — C Amali Rose and Shanmuga Kumarasamy and Victor– were, however, acquitted in the case. They were charged with aiding and abetting the headmaster in the crime.

During the trial period, the case was taken to the Madras High Court several times to get it transferred to a special court for cases under SC/ST Act. Then there were problems of prosecutor being a male after which Jaya Indra Patel of Mahila Court was appointed as public prosecutor. The court, later on, appointed Parimaladevi as public prosecutor and was assisted by Nirmala Rani.

Courtesy: India.com