The Kerala High Court has commuted the sentence of a priest accused of raping and impregnating a minor girl from 20 years to 10 years.
Robin Vadakumcherry, a former priest of the Mananthavady diocese in Wayanad in Kerala, was convicted by a POCSO court in Kannur district in Kerala in 2019. He was imposed with a fine of Rs 3 lakh also. He was subsequently defrocked.
Considering the appeal filed by Vadakumcherry, the High Court commuted the sentence to 10 years and reduced the fine to Rs one lakh. While the sentence awarded for rape under POCSO Act was not altered by the court, the sentence under section 376 of IPC was commuted by alerting the sub sections.
Earlier Vadakumcherry, who is in his 50s, moved a bail application expressing intention of marrying the victim who is in early 20s. After the court rejected it, the victim had moved a petition seeking bail for the convict expressing wish to marry him. But the prosecution and the police were learnt to have given reports against the move as it was suspected to be a bid to give undue relief to the convict.
Vadakumcherry raped the victim girl belonging to his parish several times during 2016 at Kottiyoor in Kannur district. The girl, who was only 16 at that time, became pregnant and delivered a child. Efforts were made to conceal the crime. He was held just ahead of his bid to leave the country. He was defrocked after he was convicted by the lower court.
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(Published 01 December 2021, 14:18 IST)
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