A 60-year-old teacher from Tamil Nadu's Mayiladuthurai district has been sentenced to 36 years in prison for molesting students at school. On Wednesday, February 22, the Nagapattinam Special Court for the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act passed this judgement.

In 2020, the convicted S Narayanaprasath, 57 years old at that time, was a Science teacher at a government high school near Tharangambadi. He was accused of sexually assaulting Class X girl students on several occasions in the classroom and during a school trip, The New Indian Express reports.

After a victim's complaint, the police detained Narayanaprasath. They discovered that the teacher was assaulting other students as well. The police arrested him at the All Women Police Station in Mayiladuthurai under several provisions of the POCSO Act and criminal intimidation after the school's headmaster, K Ilavarasan, sent a complaint to them.

"Narayanaprasath molested at least five students sexually and harassed three students. He also threatened one with dire consequences if the latter revealed the abuses," said CT Nagavalli, the inspector from All Women Police Station (AWPS) in Mayiladuthurai. 

For more than three years, a trial was held at Nagapattinam's Special Court under the POCSO Act. Public Prosecutor K Kanimozhi represented both the state and the victims. Judge N Manivannan delivered the verdict on Wednesday, February 21.

Judge Manivannan condemned Narayanaprasath to five years in prison and a fine of Rs 10,000 (ten thousand rupees) for each of the five instances of sexual abuse. He also sentenced the accused to three years of harsh jail term and a Rs 5,000 (five thousand rupees) fine for each of three instances of sexual harassment. 

The judge convicted Narayanaprasath to two years of harsh imprisonment and a fine of Rs 5,000 (five thousand rupees) for criminal intimidation of a student. Narayanaprasath received 36 years of harsh imprisonment and a penalty of Rs 70,000 in total. He was also sentenced to another year of simple jail term for failing to pay the penalty. Narayanaprasath was sent to Central Prison in Cuddalore after the sentence.