The Kerala High Court has suspended the sentence of K Padmarajan, a former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) local panchayat president, and granted him bail in the six-year-old Palathayi sexual assault case.
Padmarajan was convicted in the case involving the alleged sexual assault of a nine-year-old girl. He had been sentenced to imprisonment for the remainder of his natural life and fined Rs 1 lakh. He was also handed two 20-year prison terms under separate provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. The High Court suspended the sentence after observing that the grounds raised by K Padmarajan in his challenge to the conviction required “serious consideration”.
The court granted bail subject to strict conditions. Padmarajan must execute a Rs 1 lakh bond with two sureties and has been barred from entering the revenue district where the survivor lives.
The case dates back to January 2020, when police received a complaint alleging that the nine-year-old girl had been sexually assaulted. Padmarajan was arrested following an investigation by Panur Police.
The probe later became controversial after the initial investigating team concluded that the POCSO charges would not stand. The CPI(M)-led Kerala government subsequently constituted a Special Investigation Team to investigate the case.
A bloodstain recovered from a toilet at the school emerged as a key piece of evidence cited by investigators. The investigation was transferred five times before the case eventually reached trial. Padmarajan has denied the allegations and maintained that the case was fabricated. He also accused the SDPI and other organisations while defending himself before the court.
