Coimbatore: A special court on Tuesday convicted M Velusamy, 42, a daily wage labourer from near Kinathukadavu, for raping a 62-year-old Scheduled Caste woman in 2022. Velusamy, who belongs to a non-Dalit community, was sentenced to 16 years of rigorous imprisonment followed by double life imprisonment.

The victim, a widow who lost her husband seven years ago, was attacked on June 26, 2022, while searching for goat fodder. Velusamy forcibly took her under a bridge and committed the sexual assault. The woman sustained injuries, including the loss of two teeth, while resisting the attack. She managed to reach a nearby bus stop, where she collapsed and was later treated at a primary health center and then at Pollachi district hospital.

The court found Velusamy guilty of multiple charges, including seven years for voluntarily causing grievous hurt, seven years under the SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act, and two years for criminal intimidation. For the rape, he received double life imprisonment, ordered to run concurrently after completing the rigorous imprisonment term. Additionally, the court imposed a fine of Rs 32,000.

The trial was overseen at a special court, and statements were recorded by former Perur all-women police inspector S Amutha.

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