Kerala man sentenced to 51 years imprisonment for rape of minor step daughter in Munnar

Idukki (Kerala): A Kerala court on Wednesday convicted and sentenced a 40-year-old man to a cumulative 51 years imprisonment for the rape of his then 17-year-old stepdaughter in 2018 at their residence in Munnar here.

Devikulam Fast Track Special Court (POCSO) judge Sirajudheen P A sentenced the accused to varying jail terms for offences under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and the IPC for a total of 51 years, special public prosecutor (SPP) Smiju K Das said.

However, the man will serve 20 years in prison as sentences have to be served concurrently and that was the highest jail term announced by the judge, the SPP said.

The court also imposed a fine of Rs 1.55 lakh on the convict which shall be given to the victim, the prosecutor said.

The court also recommended compensation to be provided to the victim as per the Victim Compensation Scheme and give a direction for the same to the District Legal Services Authority, Idukki-Thodupuzha, the SPP said.

The girl was raped on three separate days in November 2018 when the victim's mother was not at home, the prosecutor said.

The stepfather, who was 34-years-old at the time of the incident, had also intimidated the victim by threatening to kill her and her mother if she disclosed to anybody about the crime, the SPP said.