Thiruvananthapuram: A woman was sentenced to six months of rigorous imprisonment and 40 years in jail for permitting her partner to sexually assault her 7-year-old daughter.
The Thiruvananthapuram Fast Track Special Court Judge R Rekha also slapped a fine of Rs 20,000 on the accused. The woman will be jailed for an additional 6 months if the fine is not paid. The court has directed that the Legal Services Authority to pay the compensation.
The incident took place between March 2018 and September 2019. The accused, who had left her mentally ill husband, was living with her lover Sisupalan at the time. The woman's younger daughter, who was 7 at the time, also lived with the couple.
Sisupalan brutally raped the child several times during this period. Though the child complained that her private parts were injured, the woman paid no heed to her and advised the girl to keep it a secret. Later, the perpetrator also sexually assaulted the child in the presence of the mother.
Sisupalan also raped the victim's 11-year-old step-sister when she paid them a visit. The children kept the incident a secret as Sisupalan threatened them. While the elder child's father was the woman's mentally ill husband, the second child's father was another man.
The incident came to light when the 11-year-old fled the house with the younger child and informed her paternal grandmother about the incident. Though the grandmother asked the children's mother to leave Sisupalan, she refused to do so at the time. The woman later left Sisupalan and moved in with another man. The new partner also molested the younger child with the mother's permission.
Following this, the grandmother informed the authorities about the sexual assault and shifted the girls to a children's home. The children disclosed the details of the assault during the counselling held there.
As the first accused Sishpalan committed suicide during the trial, it was held only against the mother. The children are currently living in a children's home.
Special Public Prosecutor RS Vijay Mohan and Adv RY Akhilesh appeared for the prosecution. The case was investigated by Anil Kumar and Sreejith, who were inspectors of Pallikal police station.
