Justices M Sundar and R Sakthivel, while partly allowing an appeal filed by the convict, confirmed the double life sentence handed to Duraisingham under Pocso Act on September 28, 2018, by the Fast-Track Mahila Court in Tirupur.

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has upheld a double life sentence awarded to a man for sexually assaulting his friend’s minor daughter in the Tirupur district.

A division bench of Justices M Sundar and R Sakthivel, while partly allowing an appeal filed by the convict, confirmed the double life sentence handed to Duraisingham under Pocso Act on September 28, 2018, by the Fast-Track Mahila Court in Tirupur.

“Prosecution has proved charges under Section 5(l) read with 6 and 5(n) read with 6 of Pocso Act and conviction recorded by the trial court is in order. Hence, there is no necessity to interfere with the said decision,” the bench said. It also held that the decision to award life imprisonment for each of the offences is also correct. However, the bench modified the order to undergo both life terms concurrently instead of consecutively.

Duraisingham was the friend of the victim’s mother and had allowed the family to stay at his house until they could find a rental house. He was accused of sexual assault on the girl between March 8, 2017, and March 18, 2017, when she was alone at home with her visually impaired brother.