Karnataka: Convict forced to withdraw plea

Bengaluru: With the number of cases under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO)  rising, the courts are becoming increasingly disinterested in showing those responsible any leniency.   

In a recent case, a bus conductor,  found guilty of sexually assaulting a nine-year-old boy in Suratkal was awarded life imprisonment by a lower court. He has approached the high court challenging the conviction and has applied for bail.

In the face of strong objection raised by the additional public prosecutor, Vijaykumar Majage, the counsel for the bus conductor, Tejaksha (29), withdrew his application seeking bail and a division bench headed by Justice H.G. Ramesh, adjourned the hearing of his petition challenging the lower court order, to a later date.

Going by the chargesheet filed by the Suratkal police, Tejaksha had threatened the boy and taken him to an isolated place in Palkilachhilu in 2013,  where he sexually assaulted him. He proceeded to threaten to kill the boy if he reported the incident to anyone.

But the boy’s mother grew suspicious when he arrived late from school and on inquiry learnt of the assault.  The boy later identified the bus conductor,  helping to convict him. As many as 13 witnesses were examined.

The Surathkal police arrested Tejaksha and filed a chargesheet  against him in November 2013. Later, the lower court convicted the conductor under Sections 341 (wrongful restraint), 377 (unnatural offence) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code, and also under Sections 4 and 8 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act.