Kanhangad: A Fast Track Special Court in Hosdurg on Friday sentenced a 37-year-old man to imprisonment for life for repeatedly sexually assaulting his live-in partner's seven-year-old daughter, bringing to a close one of the most disturbing child sexual abuse cases reported in Kasaragod district in recent years.

Three days ago, the same court sentenced his 33-year-old younger brother to 40 years of rigorous imprisonment for raping the same girl multiple times. Both the brothers -- living under Chittarikkal police station limits -- are distant relatives of the girl's biological father, said the special public prosecutor, Adv A Gangadharan.

The elder brother is already serving an eight-year prison sentence in Kannur Central Prison for killing his 62-year-old father during a drunken altercation in 2019.

According to the prosecution, the elderly man threatened his wife with a knife during an argument. The elder son intervened, sustained an injury to his hand and then fatally struck his father on the head with a piece of firewood. He was found guilty of culpable homicide and sentenced in March 2025.

According to the prosecution, the two brothers sexually assaulted the child on separate occasions over several months while exploiting the vulnerabilities of her family. "The elder brother was out on bail for killing his father when he assaulted the girl," said Adv Gangadharan.

On Friday, Hosdurg Fast Track Special Court Judge Suresh P M found him guilty under Sections 6(1), 5(m) and 5(l) of the POCSO Act and sentenced him to life imprisonment for repeatedly raping a girl below the age of 12.

The court also imposed a fine of ₹50,000. In addition, he was awarded 10 years' rigorous imprisonment under Section 449 of the IPC for house-trespass to commit a crime punishable with death; and five years under Section 328 of the IPC for forcing the girl to consume liquor; and five years under Section 77 of the Juvenile Justice Act for cruelty. The total fine imposed was ₹80,000. The younger brother had been convicted earlier this week in a separate trial arising from the same set of allegations.

According to the Special Public Prosecutor, the child's mother had left her husband, a rubber tapper, and begun living with the elder accused. The couple has two children together from the live-in relationship. The survivor and her two siblings, however, continued to stay with their father.

According to the prosecution, the brothers visited the child's home separately on different occasions. They gave liquor to the girl's father and waited until he became intoxicated before taking the child to another room and sexually assaulting her. The elder brother began abusing the child in 2021, while the younger brother started assaulting her in 2023, said Adv Gangadharan.

The abuse remained hidden for years until June 2024, when a neighbour noticed the child in distress and alerted a para-legal volunteer attached to the District Legal Services Authority. Police intervened the following day, leading to the registration of the cases against both brothers.

Adv Gangadharan said the investigation and trial were complicated because the child initially struggled to speak about what she had endured. "It took considerable counselling before she was able to disclose the abuse," he said.

The prosecutor said the child's mother testified for the defence and claimed her partner had been falsely implicated because she had chosen to leave her husband and live with him. "But the girl's medical examination corroborated the sexual assault," said the special public prosecutor. "The allegation of sexual assault was scientifically proved before the court."
Following the disclosure of the abuse, the child was shifted to a government care institution in Palakkad. Her siblings are now living with their maternal grandmother.

The cases were investigated by the then Chittarikkal Station House Officer - Inspector Ranjith Ravindran.