Opposed love affair; daughter leaves with boyfriend after fake POCSO case against father

IDUKKI: A 45-year-old man from Marykulam Kattappana spent 18 months in jail after his minor daughter allegedly filed a false POCSO complaint against him because he opposed her relationship with her boyfriend. He was acquitted by the Kattappana Fast Track Special Court on July 24 after the court accepted that the complaint stemmed from his opposition to his daughter’s relationship and his scolding her over it. The man endured severe mental distress during his time in jail. It was the girl’s mother herself who came forward to establish her husband’s innocence and fought to prove that the allegations against him were false.

The girl had reportedly become upset after her father questioned her relationship with her boyfriend and repeatedly objected to her frequent phone calls with him. She subsequently lodged a complaint alleging that her father had sexually abused her. The complaint was made to Childline through the boyfriend’s mother, who works at an anganwadi. After Childline informed the Upputhara police, the father was arrested and remanded in judicial custody.

The girl also maintained her allegations against her father before the court. Although he applied for bail, the court rejected the plea and he continued to remain in custody.

The Kattappana Fast Track Special Court, presided over by Judge G.R. Bilkul, acquitted the man after accepting the argument that his daughter had filed the complaint because he opposed her relationship with her boyfriend and had scolded her over the relationship.
While the father was in jail, the girl’s boyfriend had came to her house at night to meet her. Local residents caught him and handed him over to the police. The girl later left with her boyfriend after turning 18.