A 24-year-old man was sentenced to life in prison for the rape of a minor girl with intellectual disabilities in the Nilgiris in 2019.
The convicted person, identified as M. Muthukumar, was said to be related to the girl and known to her family. The Coonoor All Woman Police Station, which registered a case against Muthukumar, said he would visit the girl’s house when her grandparents and primary caregivers had left her alone to run errands, when he sexually assaulted her over a five-month period.
As the survivor became unwell, she was taken to a hospital where doctors confirmed that she was pregnant. During questioning, the girl told her caregivers that Muthukumar, under the guise of visiting the house needing water, had sexually assaulted her multiple times. The police registered a case in October of 2019 and arrested Muthukumar.
The Fast-Track Mahila Court in Udhagamandalam found Muthukumar guilty of offences under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and also for criminal intimidation. The judge, M. Senthil Kumar, sentenced Muthukumar to two life terms, to be served concurrently. The district administration was also ordered to pay ₹3 lakh in compensation to the survivor, said P. Senthil Kumar, Special Public Prosecutor at the Mahila Court in Udhagamandalam.
