Opposing the bail plea of a woman from Thiruvananthapuram arrested for allegedly sexually abusing her 13-year-old son, the State government submitted before the Kerala High Court that the boy still stuck to his guns and there was sufficient evidence against the woman.
In her bail petition, the woman said she had been in prison since her arrest on December 28, 2020, in the case registered under the provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO)Act. The case had been foisted on her by her separated husband.
During the hearing on the bail plea, the prosecutor submitted that the accused had administered a particular drug on the child and the police had recovered it. The prosecutor submitted that it was not a family dispute. The records seized by the investigating agency, including the mobile phone of the accused, indicated her role in the case. The mobile phone used by the accused had to be sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) for cyber examination. In fact, the witnesses had given statements in support of the prosecution case.
‘Earlier version true’
The prosecutor further submitted that the boy was referred to the child welfare committee that kept the boy in a hostel for ten days. He was given expert counselling. It was found that the earlier version of the boy against his mother was correct. Thereafter, he was referred to the police for registering a first information report (FIR).
The police had conducted a detailed inquiry and the evidence collected by the investigation agency revealed that the version of the child was correct. The medical board constituted to assess the child’s mental status and intelligence quotient (IQ) and also for counselling him was yet to submit its report. If the accused was released on bail, she would influence the media and would turn the witnesses hostile, the prosecutor submitted.
The court also asked the prosecutor to produce the case diary in the case forthwith and reserved its order.
