Thaliparamba fast-track court in Kerala’s Kannur district on 21 December sentenced a madarsa teacher named K V Mohammed Rafi to 26 years in prison under various sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act for sexually assaulting an 11-year-old girl student.
The fast-track court judge also fined the 36-year-old Mohammed Rafi Rs 75,000. Rafi used to teach at a madarsa in Valapattanam when he repeatedly sexually assaulted an 11-year-old girl in October 2017.
The vice president of the madarsa, charged as the second accused for not informing the police about the complaint made by the girl’s family, was acquitted for want of evidence.
The court decided on the quantum of punishment considering the fact that the convict was a teacher and the survivor was below 12 years of age.
Earlier, in September, another madarsa teacher Thoib Farhan was arrested under POCSO Act for molesting a 9-year-old girl, in the Thrissur district of the state.
