Kerala: 75-year-old man spent nine months in jail in fake POCSO case; says 'even now I pray for the girl'

Thiruvananthapuram: A 75-year-old man hailing from Alappuzha in Kerala had to spent nearly nine months in prison owing to a fake sexual assault allegation raised by a minor girl.

Joseph, who had been working as security at a school in the district, faced the ordeal after a school girl raised an allegation of sexual assault against him.

Later, the girl revealed that the real culprit was a youth and she had made a false allegation against the the man to save him.

It was in November 2022 that Joseph was held based on the girl's complaint and remanded.

"It was a real shock for me as I knew the girl and her family very well. They came from a weak background. Even now I pray to God for the girl, who is even younger to my grandchildren," Joseph told DH.

Joseph, a social worker, said that even though the incident had affected his reputation, he has no plan of initiating any legal action against the girl.

"The girl cried a lot and tendered an apology to me after correcting her statement during the trial in the court. She might have given the false statement under the compulsion of the real culprit. I am happy that my family as well as close friends and relatives stood with me," says Joseph.

It was only after the girl changed her statement that Joseph was given bail by the court in July 2023. The Alappuzha POCSO court acquitted him from the case on Tuesday.

Adv P P Baiju, who appeared for Joseph, said that it was not a one-off case. A couple of years back, he himself came across a case in which a person was accused of sexual assault by his daughter. Later it was revealed that it was a ploy of the family members to make the accused stop alcoholism.