The Kerala High Court has held that the delay in filing complaint of sexual assault of a child cannot be cited as a reason to dismiss the case. A Bench of Justice A. Badharudeen was hearing an appeal filed by a Palakkad native challenging his conviction and sentence awarded in 2016 by the trial court. The court went on to uphold the punishment awarded to the accused in the case.
The case pertains to threatening of a 11-year-old child and subsequent sexual assault by the appellant, when she was reportedly alone at her house in December 2010. He also took photos of the act and warned of showing it to others. He threatened that her father would be killed if she revdisclosed the incident. The assault was reported to the police 15 days after the incident.
The court held that there was a genuine reason for the delay in recording the FIR. It further directed the appellant/accused to surrender before the trial court in Palakkad.
Published – May 08, 2026 08:48 pm IST
