Martial Art instructor sentenced to 10-years jail for sexual assault

A Mahila Court on Wednesday sentenced a martial arts instructor to 10 years rigorous imprisonment after holding him guilty for offence of raping a female student.

In 2021, the All Women Police, Anna Nagar, arrested E. Kebi Raj, a city-based martial arts instructor, for sexually assaulting a female student seven years ago. The accused Kebi Raj, 41, was an instructor at a reputed city school and had been running the martial arts school in Anna Nagar. He had been teaching judo and karate.

The complainant was a 26-year-old woman who had joined his training programme. She alleged that in 2014, when they were returning to the city after participating in a judo tournament in Namakkal, he inappropriately touched her and attempted to rape her in a moving car. She also alleged that she was sexually assaulted on the trip, and later he threatened to murder her if she spoke about the incident. Due to the trauma, she dropped out of the institute, she said.

However, the arrest of a school teacher for sexual harassment gave her the confidence to come forward and lodge a complaint against the perpetrator. She called up the then Deputy Commissioner of Police, Crime against Women and Children and reported her complaint.

The victim was summoned, and her complaint was received by the All Women Police, Anna Nagar. Based on her complaint, the police registered a case under Section 376, read with Section 511 (attempt to rape), Section 354 (Assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), Section 509 (Word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) of Indian Penal Code and the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Harassment of Woman Act.

The trial was conducted before the Mahila Court in the Madras High Court campus. At the conclusion of the trial, the Mahila Court Judge Padma pronounced the sentence in the case. Kebi Raj was produced before the court, and he pleaded not guilty. He was convicted and given a sentence of 10-year-imprisonment. He was also imposed a fine of ₹50,000.