The Thiruvananthapuram Fast Track Special Court on Saturday sentenced 56-year-old Santhosh Kumar to 161 years of Rigorous Imprisonment along with a fine of ₹87,000 for sexually abusing his 10-year-old student with autism. Judge Anju Meera Birla delivered the verdict.

Although Kumar, a native of Powdikonam, was sentenced to 161 years of rigorous imprisonment under various sections of the law, he will only serve a total of 20 years, as the sentences will run concurrently.

Failure to pay the fine will add another 8.5 years to his term. Additionally, he is required to compensate the survivor for the legal services.

The incident occurred in July 2019, when the accused, who was a teacher at the school the child attended, took advantage of his disability and sexually assaulted him.

The boy, a native of Kannur, had moved to Thiruvananthapuram for his treatment and had been showing progress. However, the child's mother noticed a sudden change in his behaviour as he began behaving irritably. She also noted injury marks on his body.

Although he was unable to explain what had happened due to difficulty in speaking, he had a habit of writing or drawing his experiences in a book and had documented the traumatic incident as well.

Eventually, the child explained the incidents through his speech therapist. As his statements were still unclear, the police, following a directive from the CWC (Child Welfare Committee), formed a three-member panel, including a doctor from the Mental Health Centre, to record his statement again.

The accused abused the child multiple times in the school's bathroom, banging the boy's head against the wall and threatening to kill his mother each time he resisted or made noise. He had lured the child with chocolates, biscuits, and other items on multiple occasions to abuse him.

Adv R S Vijay Mohan appeared as the Special Public Prosecutor for the prosecution. The case was investigated by Narcotic Cell Assistant Commissioner Sheen Tharayil, Sreekaryam Inspector Abhilash David, and SI R Biju.