Death sentence for preacher referred to High Court

The death sentence awarded by the Special Court for Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act cases in Tirunelveli to a preacher for sexually assaulting four girls in 2022 has been referred to the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court. A Division Bench of Justices M. Nirmal Kumar and N. Gunasekaran posted the referred trial to October 30.

The case of the prosecution was preacher S. Abraham, 50, who was running a prayer hall at Mela Ilanthaikulam near Thevarkulam in Tirunelveli district, sexually assaulted the four girls under the guise of taking moral science classes for them during their vacation. Abraham was arrested based on the complaints lodged by the parents of the four girls. The Special Court awarded him death sentence in August.