A special court for cases under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act in Tirunelveli has awarded four death sentences to Christian preacher S Abraham, 47, for sexually assaulting four minor girls over nearly two years, holding the offences to fall within the “rarest of rare” category.
The court also ordered compensation of Rs 10 lakh each for the four victims and imposed a cumulative fine of Rs 52,000. Special Court Judge K Suresh Kumar observed that the offence was “extremely grave in nature, involving penetrative sexual assault on four minor children”.
Abraham, who ran a Christian prayer church at Mela Ilanthaikulam near Gangaikondan Thevarkulam in Tirunelveli district, allegedly sexually assaulted the girls at isolated places in their neighbourhood while taking music and Bible classes.
பாதிரியாருக்கு தூக்கு தண்டனை :-
நான்கு பெண் குழந்தைகளை பாலியல் பலாத்காரம் செய்த பாதிரியாருக்கு தூக்கு தண்டனை.
நெல்லை மாவட்டம் கங்கைகொண்டானில் நடந்த சம்பவம்.
ஜெபக்கூட்டம் நடத்துவதாக கூறி நான்கு பெண் குழந்தைகளை அழைத்துச் சென்று மத போதகர் ஆபிரகாமிற்கு தூக்கு தண்டனை வழங்கியது… pic.twitter.com/EKypbXBFO5
— Rajbjp (@rajsd_bjp) August 20, 2026
The case came to light in 2022 after an eight-year-old girl from Thevarkulam complained of pain in her private parts. A medical examination found that she had been sexually assaulted. Following her complaint, three more girls came forward and reported similar abuse. The other victims were aged between 11 and 12 years and were relatives of the first survivor.
According to the prosecution, Abraham had taken the girls to deserted places on the pretext of teaching them Bible and music. The assaults allegedly began during the Covid-19 lockdown in 2020 and continued until the eight-year-old disclosed the abuse to her parents in 2022. The accused had allegedly threatened the children against revealing the abuse.
Following the complaints, police registered a case and arrested Abraham on July 5, 2022.
நெல்லை பாதிரியாருக்கு மரண தண்டனை..
திருச்சபைக்கு வந்த 4 சிறு*களை அடைத்து வைத்து, மி*ட்டி பாலி*ல் வன்கொ*மை செய்த பாதிரி..
மக்களே! உங்கள் கருத்து என்ன??#PocsoCourt | #Nellai | #Priest | #CommentsPlease | #HinduMunnani | pic.twitter.com/wF9xXNPqCn
— Hindu Munnani (@hindumunnani_tn) August 21, 2026
Judge K Suresh Kumar convicted Abraham after finding him “guilty beyond reasonable doubt”. The court observed that he had preyed upon children whom he was expected to guide and had shown no genuine remorse.
The trial gained momentum after Tirunelveli police introduced a “case officer” scheme in 2026 to expedite pending POCSO cases by assigning each case to a dedicated team. Abraham’s case was handled by a team headed by Additional Superintendent of Police K Shanmugham, with the progress reviewed every week.
According to Tirunelveli Superintendent of Police Vishwesh Balasubramanian, the case was brought to conviction within six months of the scheme being launched.
The investigation team and Special Public Prosecutor P Usha assisted the child witnesses ahead of their testimony and cross-examination. Usha said medical evidence collected during the investigation by officer Radha was among the evidence relied upon by the prosecution to establish penetrative sexual assault.
All four girls, their parents and other witnesses testified during the trial, she said.
The Tirunelveli SP said 17 persons had been convicted in POCSO cases in the district this year. Of them, two were awarded life imprisonment and another was sentenced to 25 years in prison.
Nursing college principal arrested in student’s death case
In a separate development in Kanyakumari district, police arrested Sheeja, 48, principal of Bethlehem College of Nursing in Karungal, on charges of abetment to suicide following the death of Ansi G., 21, a third-year nursing student from Neyyattinkara in Kerala.
The student died after falling or jumping from a college building. Police said Sheeja had gone missing following the incident and was later apprehended by a special Tamil Nadu police team near the Hosur-Bengaluru border.
The student’s family and student groups have alleged that intense mental pressure, targeting by faculty members and retaliation over earlier student protests concerning hostel facilities had contributed to the student’s death.
Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the student’s death and the allegations against the college authorities.
