Coach Sentenced to 20 Years in Miyapur Preschool POCSO Case

Overview

• A special POCSO court sentenced gymnastics coach K Kiran Sai to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment on Thursday for sexually assaulting a three-and-a-half-year-old at a private preschool in Miyapur in 2019.
• The preschool principal, C. Deepika, was convicted for negligence that investigators say facilitated the offence but reports conflict on her term with two outlets and a court record saying three years and a police press release saying 20 years.
• The court ordered fines of Rs.20,000 for the coach and Rs.1,000 for the principal and awarded Rs.3 lakh in compensation to the victim.
• Police records say the case began after the child’s father complained in June 2019, investigators found lapses in supervision and vehicle coordination that let the coach take the girl to an isolated room, and both accused were arrested and charged following the probe.
• The conviction was handed down by a special court that handles child sexual offences under the POCSO law and closes a multi-year legal process that leaves questions about school safety and how institutions are held accountable.