Father spent 18 months behind bars, son quit school: Idukki POCSO case ends in acquittal

Idukki: An Idukki father spent around 18 months in jail after being accused under the POCSO Act in a case involving his minor daughter. He was eventually acquitted by the Kattappana Fast Track Court after the prosecution failed to establish the charges.

What happened in the Idukki POCSO case

The case was reported from Mariyapuram near Kattappana in Idukki. According to the family's account, the father had objected to his minor daughter's relationship and phone conversations with a boy she had met through social media.

The family says the father had scolded his daughter after learning about the relationship, which they believe led to resentment. A complaint alleging sexual abuse was subsequently filed against him, following which police arrested the father.

The father remained in custody for approximately 18 months without getting bail during the proceedings.

Court acquits father

The Kattappana Fast Track Court eventually acquitted the father after the prosecution failed to prove the allegations against him.

The case also involved the daughter's boyfriend, who was arrested on allegations concerning the minor. According to the family's account, the daughter later did not maintain the allegations against her father during the court proceedings.

The acquittal brought the legal ordeal to an end for the father, but the family says the consequences of the case continue to affect their lives.

Son stopped going to school

The family's younger son was also deeply affected by the situation. According to the account, he stopped attending school amid social pressure and ridicule while his father was in prison.

He later appeared for his Class 10 examination and reportedly performed well. However, he did not continue to Plus One and now spends much of his time at home in the family's unfinished house, drawing pictures while his mother works as a daily wage labourer.

The parents said their daughter had studied in a hostel from a young age and was generally home only during holidays.

They maintain that the allegations against the father were connected to his opposition to his daughter's relationship. The family believes that the daughter's boyfriend and his family played a role in the complaint.

After becoming an adult, the daughter reportedly left home with her boyfriend.

Father says he has no resentment towards daughter

Despite the ordeal, the father said he does not hold a grudge against his daughter and wants her to live well.

His experience, however, has left the family deeply affected. The case highlights the serious consequences that can follow allegations under child-protection laws, while also underlining the importance of a thorough and impartial investigation before allegations are established in court.

The POCSO Act is designed to protect children from sexual offences and provides a strict legal framework for investigating and prosecuting such allegations. At the same time, an acquittal means that the prosecution did not establish the charges against the accused to the required legal standard; it does not automatically establish that a complainant deliberately made a false allegation.

In this case, the court's acquittal ended the criminal proceedings against the father, while the family's account describes significant personal and social consequences from the 18-month incarceration. The allegations, the daughter's later position in court and the circumstances surrounding the complaint are therefore matters that need to be understood through the court record rather than assumptions.