The Tiruvallur Mahila court has sentenced a 102-year-old retired headmaster of a government school in Tamil Nadu, Parasuraman, to 15 years in prison and a fine of Rs 5000 for sexually assaulting a 10-year-old girl. The incident occurred in 2018 when Parasuraman was 99 years old. The accused has five daughters and two sons.
He had constructed five houses at Sennerkuppam and rented them out. A family had taken one house on rent which was next to his residence and they had a ten-year-old daughter.
On July 6, 2018 when the parents returned home, the girl complained of stomach ache and when her mother questioned whether she had eaten something that had caused the stomach ache, she revealed that the old man had sexually assaulted her.
Sub Inspector Latha of the Tiruvallur police station told IANS, "I was the investigating officer of the case and on receiving a complaint from the parents, we interrogated Parasuraman and he admitted to the crime. He was arrested and remanded in judicial custody."
After three and a half years, the trial is now over and Parasurman has been convicted and sentenced to 15 years in jail and a fine of Rs 5000 has been imposed on him.
Of the 15-year jail term, 10 years is rigorous imprisonment and five years is simple imprisonment. He has been sent to Puzhal central prison in Chennai.
The state recently saw three cases of sexual harassment in educational institutions in a week. While one college professor in Nagercoil was booked for sexual harassment, two school teachers, one from Tiruvannamalai and one from Madurai, were arrested under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.