Walayar Rape Case: CBI Names Parents Of Minor Victims As Accused

In 2017 within a span of two months, two girls aged 9 and 13 were found dead in different instances by alleged suicide at their house at Walayar in Palakkad.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) named the parents of the victims as accused in its supplementary chargesheet in the 2017 case involving the rape and alleged suicide of two minor girls in Palakkad.

Filed in the CBI court in Kochi on Wednesday, the chargesheet alleged that the parents were aware of the sexual abuse faced by their daughters but failed to report it to the authorities, according to a report on Indian Express. The parents have been charged under Section 109 of the Indian Penal Code (abetment of a crime) and relevant provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

According to the investigation, it is reported that the parents were aware of the sexual abuse faced by their daughters. However, they reportedly did not take action on the matter. 

In 2017 within a span of two months, two girls aged 9 and 13 were found dead in different instances by alleged suicide in their house at Walayar in Palakkad. Later, the police found out that the girls were allegedly subjected to sexual abuse by five persons including a juvenile in several instances. 

Of the four persons, two of them were relatives of the girls. Later, two of the accused died by suicide

In 2019, a Pocso court in Palakkad acquitted all four accused, sparking widespread protests against the police investigation, reported Hindustan Times. In 2021, the Kerala High Court overturned the Pocso court's verdict and directed a retrial, transferring the case to the CBI.

According to the CBI's initial charge sheet, the accused had sexually abused the girls over an extended period and ultimately drove them to suicide. However, the victim's mother challenged this charge sheet and argued in court that the agency failed to investigate the possibility of murder.