Thiruvananthapuram: The Fast Track Special Court (POCSO) has sentenced a KSRTC conductor to five years of rigorous imprisonment for sexually assaulting a 17-year-old school girl inside a moving bus.

Judge Anju Meera Birla awarded the sentence to Arun Kumar (44), a native of Aruvikkara and a conductor of the KSRTC Vellanad Depot. The court also imposed a fine of ₹15,000 on the convict, which will be handed over to the survivor.

The prosecution case, registered by the Museum Police under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the POCSO Act, dates back to September 23, 2024.

The incident occurred around 8.40 am when she was travelling to school in a crowded KSRTC bus. The conductor wrongfully restrained the Class 12 student near the Maruthumkuzhi Junction, used the heavy rush to stand close to her, and repeatedly sexually assaulted her.

The survivor froze in panic and was unable to escape due to the massive crowd inside the bus. She added that she was forced to travel on the same bus with the accused over the following days out of sheer helplessness, as it was the only service available to reach her school in time for her crucial revision exams.

Distressed by the assault, the girl eventually opened up about the ordeal during a counselling session at a hospital two days later. The hospital authorities alerted the Child Welfare Committee (CWC), following which a police complaint was filed. The girl's father traced the identity of the conductor by inquiring with the KSRTC depot station master.

The court found the accused guilty under Sections 126(2) (wrongful restraint) and 74 (assault or use of criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty) of the BNS, alongside sections of the POCSO Act. Kumar will also undergo an additional one-month simple imprisonment for wrongful restraint, with the sentences running concurrently.