Priest found guilty of abusing minor girl under guise of rituals

A temple priest was found guilty by a POCSO court in Thiruvananthapuram for sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl in the pretext of performing rituals to “drive away evil spirits.”

Thiruvananthapuram Additional Sessions Court Judge Shibu M.P. convicted Bineesh, a native of Moothakunnam in Paravur, Ernakulam, and posted the case to February 28 for pronouncing the sentence.

According to the prosecution, the accused had been serving as the priest at a temple in Kannammoola in the city. The incident occurred in 2019 when the survivor, then a Class IX student, who suffered from exam-related anxiety, was taken to the priest by her mother for special prayers.

The priest allegedly misled the parent into believing that the child was possessed and required specific rituals to remove the “affliction.” He then took the minor into his puja room attached to the temple premises.

Over multiple days, the priest subjected the girl to brutal sexual abuse, the prosecution led by Special Public Prosecutor Ajith Prasad J.K. stated.

When the child’s anxiety did not subside, her mother took her to a mental health facility, where the girl disclosed the abuse to a doctor, who alerted the police. A case was registered and the survivor was sent for medical examination.

A doctor at the Government Women and Children Hospital, Thycaud, documented the injuries and submitted a detailed report.