Hyderabad: A POCSO court in Rajendranagar on Wednesday sentenced 42-year-old Meenagala Venugopal to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment for sexually assaulting an eight-year-old girl in Gachibowli in 2023.
The conviction was based on DNA evidence and the testimony of 19 witnesses, despite the defence pointing to procedural lapses and inconsistencies in the prosecution’s case.
Special Public Prosecutor B. Venkateshwara Reddy told TNIE that DNA evidence matched samples obtained from Venugopal. The victim’s mother also testified that Venugopal had sexually assaulted her daughter several times.
According to the prosecution, the incident occurred on May 9, 2023, when the girl was playing on a road near Venugopal’s hut. He allegedly called her inside and sexually assaulted her before sending her away.
Police seized a lungi, blanket and other material during the investigation. The lungi was later found to have been washed and torn, while the seized articles were sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) for examination.
DNA evidence anchors conviction in Hyderabad POCSO case
The FSL detected human semen on the blanket. Police subsequently obtained Venugopal’s blood sample for DNA comparison.
The DNA profile obtained from the stain on the blanket matched Venugopal’s DNA profile, establishing a common biological origin, according to the prosecution.
The defence pointed to contradictions in the timeline and the conduct of witnesses. However, the court held that the positive DNA match and other forensic evidence outweighed minor procedural delays and inconsistencies in oral testimony.
The court observed that the DNA and FSL findings provided the scientific basis for the conviction.
Apart from the 20-year rigorous imprisonment sentence, the court directed the state to pay Rs 3 lakh in compensation to the victim from the Telangana Victim Compensation Fund.
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