78-year-old paediatrician sentenced to 47 years in POCSO case in Keralam
A 78-year-old paediatrician and former superintendent of the Kasaragod District Hospital, Dr. P. Krishnan, has been sentenced to a total of 47 years of rigorous
A 78-year-old paediatrician and former superintendent of the Kasaragod District Hospital, Dr. P. Krishnan, has been sentenced to a total of 47 years of rigorous imprisonment for sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl who had visited his clinic for treatment. Judge P.M. Suresh of the Hosdurg Fast Track Special Court pronounced the sentence after finding the doctor guilty under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. However, as the sentences are to run concurrently, Dr. Krishnan will have to serve 20 years in prison, the prosecution said.
The court also imposed a total fine of ₹1.25 lakh on him. In default of payment, he will have to undergo an additional 18 months of imprisonment. The incident occurred on June 25, 2020, during the COVID-19 period, when the girl accompanied her father to Dr. Krishnan’s clinic at Periya in Kasaragod district for treatment of a wound on her leg. According to the prosecution, the doctor took the girl into a separate room on the pretext of examining her and sexually assaulted her there. The girl disclosed the incident to her parents the following day.
Her family subsequently lodged a complaint with the police, following which the Bekal police registered a case and launched an investigation. The court awarded 20 years of rigorous imprisonment to the accused under Section 376(3) of the IPC for raping a girl below 16 years of age. He was also sentenced to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment under Sections 6(1) and 5(e) of the POCSO Act. In addition, the court awarded seven years of rigorous imprisonment under Sections 10 and 9(e) of the Act. The cumulative sentence under the various provisions thus amounted to 47 years.
However, since the sentences will run concurrently, the effective prison term will be 20 years. The investigation was initially led by Bekal Police Inspector P. Narayanan. Inspector Nizam, who later took charge of the case, completed the investigation and filed the chargesheet. The police did not arrest Dr. Krishnan during the investigation as he had secured anticipatory bail. However, following the pronouncement of the sentence, he was taken into custody and shifted to prison.
The BriefWire