A Thiruvananthapuram fast-track court on Thursday sentenced Vaishak (41) to 78 years of rigorous imprisonment for raping his 13-year-old stepdaughter. Judge Anju Meera Birla also imposed a fine of ₹4.75 lakh, directing that he serve an additional four and a half years in jail if the amount is not paid.

The incident happened in 2023, when the survivor was in Class 7. Vaishak had married the girl’s mother after her father’s death, and began sexually abusing the child shortly after the marriage. Terrified and threatened, the girl remained silent until the crime was witnessed by her younger brother, who informed their mother. When confronted, Vaishak allegedly assaulted the mother as well, following which she approached the police.

In its verdict, the court stated that the convict does not deserve any mercy, describing the act as absolutely unacceptable coming from a stepfather.

The case was prosecuted by appeared for the prosecution. The investigation was led by Fort CI J Rakesh, assisted by SIs Abhijith M and Sreejesh S S The prosecution examined 17 witnesses, and presented 28 documents and five material pieces of evidence before the court.