The Kerala High Court has emphasised the need for effectively addressing the cases relating to sexual offences against children.
The court while quashing the bail granted to a person accused of rape observed that that sexual offences against children were not adequately addressed by the laws in force, nor were they adequately penalised.
The court added that violence against children violated the dignity and rights of children and robbed them of childhood joys. Child abuses and sexual offences were widespread across the country, impacting children of all ages.
Justice P.B. Suresh Kumar made the observations while quashing the order granting bail by the Thrissur Sessions Court to an NCC instructor of a school in Thrissur. The police case against the instructor, Gopakumar, was that he took a student to the NCC room and sexually abused her.
‘Casual approach’
The court observed that the Thrissur Sessions Court had adopted a very casual approach in the case. Sessions judges need to change their mindset and should be sensitive in matters of this nature, for, lack of sensitivity would create distance between justice seeker and justice provider.
The prosecution said that the accused was granted bail even before recording the statements of the witnesses who were the teachers and students of the school where the accused was working. The decision to enlarge the accused on bail in a case of this nature would certainly affect the investigation in the case, argued the prosecution.
