A 56-year-old teacher in Thiruvananthapuram was on Saturday (January 31, 2026) sentenced to a total of 161 years of rigorous imprisonment for sexually abusing a 10-year-old autistic boy.
The accused, Santhosh Kumar of Powdikonam, was sentenced by the Fast Track Special Court (POCSO), Thiruvananthapuram, on multiple counts under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses Act (POCSO) and the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for a total of 161 years, according to the order passed by Special Judge Anju Meera Birla.
Since the sentences will run concurrently, he will only have to serve 20 years. Mr. Santhosh Kumar was also ordered to pay a fine of ₹87,000 or face another eight-and-a-half years in prison.
Special public prosecutor RS Vijay Mohan appeared for the prosecution.
The incident related to the case happened in July 2019. The accused was a teacher at the school the victim attended. The charge against him was that he took advantage of the child’s condition to sexually abuse him.
Although the child’s mother noticed a change in the child, she could not clearly explain what had happened. She also noticed the bruises on his body. However, he wrote down his experience in a notebook. More details subsequently came out after a speech therapist interacted with the child. Due to the continuing lack of clarity, a three-member commission was set up, including a doctor from the Mental Health Center, and the police re-recorded the child’s statement. The defendant abused the child in the school bathroom.
Deputy Commissioner (Narcotics Cell) Sheen Tharayil, Inspector Sreekaryam Abhilash David and SI R. Biju investigated the case.
Published – 31 Jan 2026 20:16 IST
