COIMBATORE: P Raja Sethupathi and R Indira of Samathuvapuram at Neruperichal in Tirupur are a family with three sons and one daughter. Raja Sethupathi was a drunkard who had sold his house to meet his drinking expenses a few years ago and after this the family then started living by the roadside at Neruperichal. After the death of one of their sons’ the couple pushed the two other sons into beggary and allowed their eight-year-old girl, a student of class 3 in a government school, to continue her education. Raja Sethupathi tied the little girl’s hands using cloth, gagged and raped her on multiple occasions during nights, Police said. Despite the girl taking the issue to her mother’s notice, the latter ignored it and did not bother to lodge a police complaint. The girl told her school head master as she was unable to bear the sexual harassment by the father. The HM alerted the Childline on January 26, 2015. Childline personnel rescued the girl and also lodged a complaint with the Tirupur North All Women Police. Police arrested the couple and lodged them in the Coimbatore Central Prison. His 30-year-old wife was also found guilty of supporting her husband by not lodging a police complaint. The girl was later sent to a home in Tirupur. For more than 600 days Raja Sethupathi and Indira were behind bars as their bail pleas were repeatedly rejected by the court. The case was tried at the Tirupur District Mahila Court. After completing trial, the judge incharge A Muhamed Jiyaputheen convicted the couple on January 31. The judge sentenced the man to 10 years RI under sections 5 (l), 5(m), 5(n) and 6 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act and fined of Rs 1,000 on him. India was sentenced to 10 years RI and and imposed a fine of Rs 1,000 for charges proved under section 16 read with 17 of the POCSO Act and six months RI with a fine of Rs 500 for charges proved under section 19 read with 21 of POCSO Act. ]]>
