The Madras High Court upheld a life sentence for T Kasi, convicted of sexually exploiting women. The court issued a strong caution to young people about the dangers of online relationships and warned against sharing intimate photos or videos.
The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court, while upholding the life sentence imposed by the trial court in Nagercoil on T Kasi alias Suji for sexually exploiting women and extorting several lakhs of rupees from them, made a significant appeal to young people and their families. The Bench urged them to exercise the utmost caution when entering into online or technology-facilitated relationships, highlighting the risks associated with such interactions.
Court’s Warning on Digital Exploitation
In a 137-page judgment, a bench comprising Justices N Anand Venkatesh and KK Ramakrishnan observed that, in the digital age, unscrupulous individuals often exploit the trust and emotional vulnerability of young girls and women by inducing them to share intimate photographs or videos. Such material is then used as a tool for blackmail, subjecting victims to prolonged exploitation, humiliation, and severe psychological trauma.
“No matter how deep the affection, trust, or promise of confidentiality may appear, intimate photographs or videos should never be shared digitally with anyone. Once such material leaves one’s exclusive control, it can be easily misused, leading to irreversible harm to the victim’s privacy, dignity, and mental well-being,” the judges cautioned.
Recognising the wider public importance of the issue, the bench delivered this portion of the judgment in English, Tamil, and Hindi to ensure its message reached a broader audience.
Concern for Investigator’s Mental Well-being
Earlier in the proceedings, the court had also expressed concern for the mental well-being of the woman investigating officer, who was required to sift through 60 files containing obscene material in the course of gathering evidence. The Court observed that no amount of police or legal training can protect a person from suffering psychological harm when they are exposed to such toxic material.
Call for Institutional Support
It stated that the time has come for the judiciary and institutional leaders to address this challenge by introducing mandatory psychological evaluations, regular counselling, post-exposure stress management protocols, and rotational deployment of personnel.
Life Sentence Confirmed for Habitual Offender
The judges made these observations while dismissing the appeal filed by T Kasi, alias Suji, from Kanyakumari, against the life imprisonment sentence imposed three years ago by the Mahila Court in Nagercoil. He had been convicted of sexually abusing multiple women and extorting money from them.
The judges remarked that the incriminating evidence regarding the number of victims had deeply shaken the conscience of the Court. Pointing out that he was a habitual sexual offender and that the prosecution had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt, the judges refused to interfere with the order passed by the trial court. (ANI)
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