The Thiruvananthapuram Fast Track Special Court has sentenced a dance teacher from Kollam to 52 years of rigorous imprisonment for raping a 7-year-old boy. Judge Anju Meera Birla also imposed a fine of ₹3.25 lakh, with an additional three and a half years in prison if unpaid.

The incidents occurred between 2017 and 2019. The accused, Sunil Kumar (46), repeatedly raped the child in a separate room while the boy was attending dance classes. The accused took the child away from the classes to another room and committed the crime. 

Despite the child's reluctance to attend dance classes, his parents initially dismissed it as laziness. The accused also threatened the child not to speak to anybody. 

The child revealed the abuse when his parents planned to send his younger brother to the same classes.

Sunil Kumar claimed innocence, stating he only chastised the victim for touching another boy and that no other rooms were accessible to him other than the area where the dance class is held. The court found this unconvincing, noting the absence of the other boy as a witness and the inconsistency with the house owner's testimony regarding access to the bedroom.

Special Public Prosecutor R S Vijay Mohan represented the prosecution. The investigation was led by Inspectors Suneeh N and Suresh N R of the Pangode police station.