A pastor and his lawyer were booked for revealing his sexual abuse victim’s name on a television program. The victim, a 13 year old girl, was ashamed after her identity was revealed through the program and stopped attending school as a result.
Pastor Suri Stephen aka Surya Murthy (54), served as a pastor in Ooty. He used to visit the houses of his followers to conduct prayers. On the day of the incident, he went to the victim’s house and found her alone. Taking advantage of the situation he sexually abused the child. She was rescued by neighbours who heard her scream.
The girl’s mother filed a complaint against the pastor following which he was booked under the POCSO Act. Upon investigation police found the charges to be true. He was arrested and lodged in jail, but appears to have come out on bail recently. Pastor Stephen reportedly appeared on a television program along with his lawyer Charles Vetri Vendhan and revealed the child’s names.
As her relatives and acquaintances came to know about the incident through the tv program, the victim felt ashamed and stopped attending school. Her parents have again filed a complaint against the pastor, his lawyer and the Executive Editor of the television channel. Even though the POCSO Act was brought to swiftly punish those who sexually abuse minors, perpetrators are easily let off on bail and continue paedophilia. This case is a good example of why it is wrong to easily grant bail to paedophiles, especially someone in an influential position like the pastor.
Last month, a pastor was sentenced to life for raping a mentally and physically challenged 16 year old girl. Before the POCSO special court announced the verdict, his wife filed an appeal against the Goondas Act being applied in his case. Dismissing the plea, the court observed that “the Pastor, who was duty bound to care for every member of the church, had committed the offence. This act itself had such propensity to create panic in the minds of those associated with the church”.
The judges noted that “the Pastor created panic in the locality and also the mind of the persons attending the prayer along with their female children” in their judgment. If pastor Suri Stephen’s bail petition was dealt with in a similar manner the victim wouldn’t have had to endure shame.
