A special court that sentenced a priest of a Govandi church for repeatedly sodomising a 13-year-old boy of his parish in 2015, has said in its detailed order while refusing leniency to the 53-year-old, that such a heinous act by him, being Father of the church has cast a lifelong psychological and emotional impact on the child and must be dealt with sternly by an iron hand.
The court said that the victim was around 12-13 years at the time of the incident and that the incident has caused an adverse impact on his mind and soul. “The accused is not a layman but the Father of a church where people come to pray and confess through the Father. He acts as a bridge or a mediator between man and God. He is seen with the greatest degree of respect and authority by the common people and hence, he is expected to lead his life accordingly.”
Special Judge under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act Seema Jadhav said in the judgment that such heinous acts by the Father of a church has cast a lifelong psychological and emotional impact on the child. “Children are the future of the country and the hope of tomorrow rests on them…the accused has preyed on a child of a tender age of 13 years and left a permanent scar for his life.”
It said that crimes like this by a person of trust and authority changes the perception of a child to look forward towards life in a positive way. Therefore, it said, that such offences must be dealt sternly with iron hands and that the accused deserves no leniency.
The accused had sought leniency claiming that he had been a priest for 25 years and had spent six years since his arrest in custody.
As per the complaint lodged at Shivaji Nagar police station by the child’s father, the priest was well acquainted with their regular church-going family. He had sexually assaulted the child once in the past too. The boy had fallen ill and shown a change in behaviour, but not revealed anything. The incident took place once again in Nov 2015. This time, he confided in his mother when she persuaded him to open up when he looked unwell. Soon, the family approached the police.
