KANNUR: In a major verdict in the Palathai rape case, the Thalassery Protection of Children Sexual Offences (POCSO) Fast Track Special Court on Saturday sentenced teacher and BJP leader K. Padmarajan to life imprisonment till death.

The court found him guilty under multiple sections of the POCSO Act and the Indian Penal Code on November 14.

Padmarajan was ordered to undergo 40 years of rigorous imprisonment under two POCSO sections, along with life imprisonment till death under the IPC. In addition to the jail term, the court directed him to pay a fine of Rs. 2 lakhs.

The Thalassery POCSO court found the accused guilty after the trial that began in February 2024. He was charged under the POCSO Act, and IPC 376 AB has been charged against the accused.

According to the prosecution, Padmarajan, who worked as a teacher, repeatedly abused the child in January 2020 after taking her to the school bathroom. In building the case, the prosecution presented the testimony of 40 witnesses, including the survivor, and submitted 77 documents along with 14 material pieces of evidence. The case also stirred political controversy, as the investigation team was changed five times and the interim charge sheet initially did not include charges under the POCSO Act.

Child Line was the first to receive information that a ten-year-old girl was raped in the school toilet. The Panoor police registered a case on March 17, 2020, based on a complaint filed by the child’s mother..