Kerala Court Acquits Man In 6-Year-Old's Rape And Murder Case, Family Outraged

In response, Kerala police issued a statement, announcing their intention to appeal the court's verdict.

The lawyer, representing Arjun, alleged that he was wrongly framed in the case by the police who fabricated the evidence. 

A Kerala court on Thursday acquitted a man who was accused of raping and killing a six-year-old girl at Churukkulam estate in Idukki two years ago. A Fast Track Special Court in Idukki acquitted the accused Arjun due to a lack of conclusive evidence against him. 

According to a report on PTI, the victim's family members immediately after the acquittal were seen hurling abuses and expressing dissatisfaction with the verdict. The visuals also showed police quickly taking Arjun out of the court premises. 

The lawyer, representing Arjun, alleged that he was wrongly framed in the case by the police who fabricated the evidence. 

Following the court's decision, the defense attorney informed the media, stating, "We have called for a re-investigation of the case to determine the actual culprit."

In response, the state police issued a statement, announcing their intention to appeal the court's verdict.

Meanwhile, the UDF opposition led by the Congress asserted that both the police and the prosecution fell short in ensuring the accused's conviction.

V D Satheesan, the Leader of the Opposition in the state assembly, expressed shock at the verdict, emphasizing that the evident failure of the police and prosecution requires a response from Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.

The court verdict in the case indicates that the government was not serious about child safety issues, he said and added that merely going in appeal was not a solution.

Satheesan emphasized that the post-mortem had confirmed the rape and murder of the child, and the accused had confessed to the crime. He raised concerns about the "mysterious" aspect of the case, pointing out that the police had allegedly ignored the plea from the girl's family to charge the accused under the pertinent provisions of the SC/ST Act.