Thiruvananthapuram Fast Track Special Court Special Judge Anju Meera Birla sentenced Manu M., a 40-year-old cricket coach, to 28 years of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of ₹54,000 in a fourth case related to the sexual assault of a female student.
The convict needs to effectively serve seven years of imprisonment for the particular case, with the judgment stating that the sentence will commence only after the completion of the prison terms of the previous three cases. The court specified the consecutive sentence periods taking the prosecution’s arguments into consideration.
In all, the convict has been sentenced to a total of 127 years of imprisonment and a fine of ₹2.23 lakh in the four cases, out of which he will have to undergo 42 years of imprisonment.
According to the prosecution led by Special Public Prosecutor R.S. Vijay Mohan, the survivor sought cricket coaching in June 2018. After the initial few days, the accused sexually assaulted the child by taking her to the gym under the pretext of training, and to the bathroom claiming it was part of fitness routines. He also took nude photographs of the girl.
She subsequently fell into depression, stopped attending coaching in 2021, and attempted suicide out of distress. Her family had been since providing her psychiatric treatment. She, however, did not reveal the abuse earlier because the accused threatened to ruin her cricketing future.
The abuse came to light in 2024 during a girls’ cricket tournament held in Thiruvananthapuram. Another survivor spotted the accused after several years, panicked and created a commotion. Once her complaint became public, other children found the courage to file complaints.
Consequently, six cases were registered against the accused, resulting in convictions in four of them thus far. The trial in the remaining two cases will commence after receiving the scientific investigation reports.
Published – June 29, 2026 09:19 pm IST