The Thiruvananthapuram Fast Track Special Court on Monday acquitted a man who had been arrested on charges of sexually assaulting his son five years ago.
Special Judge Aaj Sudarsan found the accused not guilty of the offences that are punishable under Sections 9 (l) (commit sexual assault on the child more than once) and 9 (m) (commit sexual assault on a child below 12 years) of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
The father was arrested by the Medical College police after being accused of sexually assaulting his six-year-old son during the first week of December 2017. According to the prosecution, the minor claimed to have been sexually harassed by his father while he had been taken to a therapist for a learning disability.
However, the court concluded that the prosecution failed to establish a strong case against the accused. It also observed that the evidence adduced by the prosecution showed that the child had been tutored and influenced to give a statement against his own father.
The accused had maintained that he had been implicated in a false case by his wife to prevent him from getting custody of his children. The estranged couple has been living separated since September 2017 when the wife had gone to her house prior to the birth of their second child.