The Special Court for SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act Cases, Kottarakkara on Saturday sentenced a 46-year-old man to rigorous life imprisonment for raping a woman belonging to Scheduled Caste (SC) community. The convict has been identified as Viswambharan of Vettikkavala, Kollam.
The incident happened on October 22, 2017. The survivor, a 40-year-old uneducated and malnourished woman, was cutting grass for her goats from the side of a canal near her home when the accused sexually assaulted her.
Besides awarding the life term under Section 3(2)(v) of the SC/ST (POA) Act, Special Judge R. Jayakrishnan sentenced the convict to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment under Section 376 (1) (rape) of the Indian Penal Code and a one-year rigorous imprisonment under Section 3(1)(w) (i) of the SC/ST (POA) Act. The sentences shall run concurrently.
