Astrologer sentenced to 200-year rigorous imprisonment for sexually assaulting two minor girls in Sivaganga

The Sivaganga POCSO Court sentenced a 51-year-old astrologer to 200 years of rigorous imprisonment for sexually assaulting two minor girls in 2021.

Ramakrishnan was an astrologer from Managiri in Sivaganga district. In November 2021, a woman who consulted him mentioned that her two daughters, aged 17 and 14, were not performing well in their studies.

Ramakrishnan claimed that performing a remedy would help the girls study better. Believing him, the woman took her daughters to his house. He then asked the mother to stay in one room and took the girls to another under the pretext of performing the ritual.

He sexually assaulted the minors and threatened that their parents would die if they reported the incident. Out of fear, the girls did not disclose it at the time.

Two years later, both girls fell ill. Hospital tests revealed that they had contracted a sexually transmitted disease (STD). During the subsequent investigation, the girls disclosed that the astrologer had sexually assaulted them.

Based on a complaint filed by the girls’ mother, the Tiruppattur All-Women Police registered a case under the POCSO Act and arrested Ramakrishnan.

The trial was conducted at the Sivaganga POCSO Court. Judge Gokulmurugan, who heard the case, sentenced Ramakrishnan to 100 years of rigorous imprisonment for each victim, totaling 200 years, and imposed a fine of ₹2 lakh.

The judge also ordered the government to provide ₹10 lakh in compensation to each girl.

This is probably the first instance of the court awarding a cumulative sentence of 200 years of rigorous imprisonment. Ramakrishnan remains lodged in Madurai Central Jail since 2022.