Life sentence: High Court rejects Monson's appeal

KOCHI: The High Court on Saturday rejected the plea filed by Monson Mavunkal, the accused in the antiquities fraud case, seeking to freeze the life sentence awarded to him in a POCSO case. The division bench comprising Justices PB Suresh Kumar and S Manu issued the order after assessing that there was sufficient evidence to support the findings of the trial court. The court also stated that the fact that it was a heinous crime cannot be ignored.

The case is that Monson had raped the minor daughter of his employee multiple times and impregnated her. The Ernakulam District Sessions Court had sentenced Monson to three terms of life imprisonment and a heavy fine. The order dated June 17, 2023, also stated that he should be imprisoned till the end of his life.

In his appeal, Monson had demanded the High Court to suspend his sentence and grant him bail. He also argued that the case was fake and the evidence produced by the prosecution was fabricated. Rejecting his contentions, the High Court said it had perused the deposition of the victim and it did not find that the same was unreliable and misleading as argued by Mavunkal.