On Wednesday (December 1), the Kerala High Court reduced the quantum of sentence that was awarded to an ex-Catholic priest and convicted rapist Robin Mathew Vadakkumchery from 20 years to 10 years. The case shook the public conscience after it was learnt that Robin had raped and impregnated a minor girl in 2016 in what was called in the media the Kottiyoor rape case.
The matter was heard by a single-Judge Bench of Justice Narayana Pisharadi. In a fresh order, the Kerala High Court altered the charges against Robin from Indian Penal Code Section 376 (2) to Section 376 (1)and thus reduced the term of rigorous imprisonment to 10 years. At the same time, an appeal filed by the accused was disposed and a fine was imposed.
The catholic priest had earlier confessed to his crime and claimed that the act was consensual. His counsel even went to the extent of justifying the heinous crime by citing instances from the Puranas and Indian texts and claiming that it was normal human conduct. It must be mentioned that Robin Mathew Vadakkumchery had been serving jail time since February 2017.
Details of the Kottiyoor rape case
The case came to light in February 2017 after the minor victim delivered a child at a hospital in Kannur. During the police probe, it was found that Robin had raped and impregnated the victim when he was a priest at the Mananthavady Catholic diocese in 2016. In a bid to hide his crime, he forced the girl’s father to confess to raping his own daughter. And he complied. Robin Mathew Vadakkumchery then attempted to flee the country to Canada, during which he was caught by the police.
Later, the victim and her family turned hostile and claimed that the sexual act was consensual. However, a POCSO court in Thalassery in Kannur had noted that the girl was minor and could not consent to a sexual relationship. In July 2020, the minor girl and the accused filed a joint petition, seeking permission to get married. When it was turned down, they approached the Supreme Court in August this year to get married. But, it was also rejected by the apex court.
The trial court had sentenced Robin Mathew Vadakkumchery to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment in February 2019. He was also fined ₹2 lacs. Around 6 other accused in the case were acquitted. While handing out the verdict, the trial court said, “This is a case where A1 (Robin) by his sexual adventures wrecked the life of a young girl. The wreckage was massive. I am of the view that the sentence to be imposed upon A1 has to match with the gravity of the offences. However, considering the facts that the child born to PW1 (victim) and Al is growing and the child did not have the fortune of meeting his father till date, I desist from imposing life sentence upon Al.”
