A special Thiruvananthapuram Fast Track Court on Wednesday sentenced a 57-year-old education teacher to 18 years of rigorous imprisonment for sexually assaulting a female student, an offense that came to light 11 years after it took place.
Special Judge Anju Meera Birla pronounced the sentence on Subhash Kumar, who hails from the Medical College area. In addition to the jail term, the court imposed a fine of ₹35,000. Failure to pay the fine will result in an additional three and a half years in prison.
According to the prosecution led by Special Public Prosecutor RS Vijay Mohan, the survivor was a student of Class 5 and 6 when the sexual abuse took place. Her ordeal began in 2013 when Subhash, her then class teacher, repeatedly molested her until January 2014. While he threatened her not to divulge the incidents, she stopped attending his classes in Class 6.
The trauma led to severe anxiety, panic disorders, and social withdrawal. The survivor even lost a year of school due to deteriorating mental health during her Plus Two studies. During online psychiatric treatment during the COVID-19 pandemic, the victim was unable to reveal the abuse because her mother was always present. But the turning point came after she secured admission for her MBBS and moved into the hostel.
When the girl saw a person in the dormitory who bore a striking resemblance to her abuser, she suffered a severe mental breakdown. During a subsequent consultation with a doctor, she finally revealed years of repressed trauma. The doctor immediately informed the police in 2024, which led to the arrest of the accused, the prosecution said.
Published – 04 March 2026 21:05 IST
