HC confirms life sentence to a man for raping minors

The Madras High Court has upheld the life sentence awarded to a man by a court for raping three minor girls in 2010.
Dismissing an appeal filed by Somasundaram against the judgement by a Mahila Court in 2012, a division bench comprising Justice S Nagamuthu and Justice V Bharathidasan in a recent order said "the trauma caused by the act of the accused would be everlasting and the depression out of the said trauma will have an impact on the children."
"Therefore, we are not inclined to interfere with the conviction and sentence imposed on the accused. From the testimonies of the victim girls coupled with the medical evidence, we are fully convinced that the prosecution has proved all the charges against the accused beyond reasonable doubt. Thus, the trial court was right in convicting the accused", the judges said.

The matter relates to the rape of three minor girls aged 10, 11 and 12 years by Somasundaram in 2010 when the parents of the children had left for work on March 1, 2010.
Somasundaram, 74 years then, took the girls to his house and made them to see an obscene film in the television and despite their resistance raped them.
When one of the girls complained to her mother of abdominal pain, she took her to a hospital and on examination it was found that the girl was sexually assaulted.
The mother then lodged a complaint with All Women Police Station.

The Mahila Court here on July 9, 2012 sentenced the accused to life imprisonment and also awarded varying terms of jail terms on different counts, which are to run concurrently.