Madras High Court Upholds Life Sentence To Church Pastor For Sexually Assaulting Intellectually Disabled Minor

The Madras High Court (Madurai Bench) recently upheld the conviction and life sentence of a church pastor for the aggravated penetrative sexual assault of a minor girl with intellectual and speech disabilities.

Court dismissed the appeal filed by the accused, Joseph Raja, affirming the trial court’s decision that sentenced him to imprisonment for the remainder of his natural life.

The division bench comprising Justice G.K. Ilanthiraiyan and Justice R. Poornima delivered the judgment.

The case originated from an incident on May 3, 2022, when the victim’s mother left her daughter at a church under the care of Raja, who served as the pastor.

According to the prosecution, the victim’s mother returned to find Raja fleeing the scene in panic. The victim was discovered with her clothing disheveled. The prosecution argued that "Raja had taken advantage of the victim girl's disability and had subjected her to aggravated penetrative sexual assault". The victim, who suffers from 70% disability and a speech impairment, later communicated the details of the assault to her mother.

After the incident, the victim’s mother confronted Raja, following which he and his family allegedly apologised and requested that the matter not be disclosed. Later that night, the victim and her mother informed her father about the incident. On May 9, 2022, they also informed a woman named Esther, who questioned the victim regarding the allegations. After some hesitation, they gathered a group of people and went to confront Raja again, but he denied the allegations in their presence. Aggrieved by the same, the victim’s mother went to the police station and lodged a complaint on May 11, 2022.

Raja’s counsel challenged the conviction on several grounds, including an eight-day delay in filing the First Information Report (FIR) and lack of independent eyewitnesses. It was further contended that the medical evidence was inconclusive as it "did not support the case of the prosecution" regarding physical injuries.

However, the state's additional public prosecutor argued that the delay was immaterial in POCSO cases, explaining that "the parents of the victim girl were scared of the social implications and consequences". The prosecution emphasized that the victim’s medical report "clearly revealed that the victim girl's hymen was not intact," which corroborated the allegations of sexual assault.

The high court observed that the victim’s mental disability was clearly established, with an IQ of 36 against a normal level of 90. The bench noted that the victim had "categorically described the incident by way of both actions and words".

Concluding that the trial court’s findings were based on a "complete chain of highly incriminating circumstances," the high court ruled that the conviction did not warrant any interference.

Court maintained the sentence of life imprisonment for the remainder of the appellant's natural life and the fine of ₹1,00,000.

Case Title: Joseph Raja v The Inspector of Police, All Women Police Station, Rajapalayam

Judgment Date: February 10, 2026

Bench: Justice G.K. Ilanthiraiyan and Justice R. Poornima