Kerala High Court Upholds 10 Year Jail Term for Man Convicted of Raping 73 Year Old Woman
CONFLICT signal, reported in IN, from thehindu.com, with negative sentiment. Locations: Kerala, India, Thrissur.
What Happened
The Kerala High Court has upheld a 10-year prison sentence for Muhammad, who was convicted of raping and molesting a 73-year-old woman in Thrissur in 2022. The court dismissed his appeal, ruling that the survivor’s testimony alone was sufficient to establish guilt despite a 19-day delay in reporting the crime and discrepancies over the incident date. The court also canceled his bail and ordered him to surrender to the trial court to serve the sentence. The incident occurred on October 8, 2022, when Muhammad, who claimed to be removing 'evil spirits' from the victim’s body, touched her intimate areas and inserted his finger into her vagina. The trial court had convicted him of rape and sexual harassment under Sections 354A(1)(i) and 376(1) of the IPC, sentencing him to 10 years rigorous imprisonment and a ₹1 lakh fine for rape, plus 3 years for sexual harassment with a ₹25,000 fine, both to run concurrently. The court rejected arguments that the survivor’s changed date or her son’s testimony undermined her account, noting the son had conflicts with his mother and that telephone records confirmed contact on October 8.
Why it matters
The ruling ensures the convicted man serves his full sentence after the court canceled his bail. It addresses concerns about delayed reporting and the survivor’s credibility, affirming that the absence of injuries does not negate her testimony. The decision also clarifies the timeline of the incident, rejecting claims of a property dispute or false accusation. The victim’s safety and the legal process for such cases are reinforced, with the court emphasizing the importance of survivor testimony in sexual assault cases.
Summarised from the source article by an automated model (qwen3:4b, confidence high). It can be wrong - read the original.
Tone Reading
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Reporting Sources
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