Kerala court acquits accused in Vandiperiyar rape and murder case of 6-year-old girl

The Kattapana fast-track court acquitted accused Arjun in the Vandiperiyar rape and murder case of a six-year-old girl in 2021.

Idukki: The Kattappana Fast Track Special Court acquitted accused Arjun in the rape and murder of a six-year-old girl in Vandiperiyar of Idukki. The court acquitted the accused by stating that the prosecution could not prove the murder and rape. Justice V Manju delivered the verdict after two years of filing the chargesheet. 

The child's father had earlier demanded that the accused be given a death sentence. The father had said that the police and the prosecution had cooperated well during the trial and believed that the newly appointed judge had studied the case well. 

The chilling crime took place on June 30, 2021 when a six-year-old girl was raped and strangled to death in Vandiperiyar's Churakkulam estate. Initially, it was believed that she was only strangulated with a shawl around her neck. However, the post-mortem report revealed that the child was a victim of rape and murder. During the later investigation, the police found that Arjun, a native of Vandiperiyar, committed the brutal crime. The police investigation also revealed that the girl, who was unconscious during the rape, was killed and then strangled. The accused had been raping the child since the age of 3.

The accused utilised the time to commit the crime when the child's parents went out for work. The case was investigated by a team headed by TD Sunil Kumar, who was the CI of Vandiperiyar. The charge sheet was filed on September 21, 2021. The charges include murder, rape and various sections of the POCSO Act. In May last year, the trial of the case began in the Kattapana fast-track court. The girl's father had approached the High Court demanding that sections of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Prevention of Harassment Act should be imposed against the accused. However, the court rejected this, ruling that both of them fall under the SC category. 

As many as 48 witnesses were examined in the case and more than 69 documents and 16 items were submitted to the court as evidence. 

The defense team has made every effort to present the story as though the girl passed away with a shawl around her neck. The new judge took over during the trial and postponed the decision. According to Special Public Prosecutor Sunil Maheshwaran Pillai, the guilty should receive the harshest punishment possible as the facts and witness accounts are favourable.