JUDGMENT

M.JOTHIRAMAN, J.

The sole accused in Crime No.9/2016 on the file of the respondent herein is the appellant herein. This Criminal Appeal has been filed challenging the judgment of conviction and sentenced dated 12.02.2019 in Spl.SC.No.64 of 2016 passed by the learned Sessions Judge, Magalir Needhimandram, Salem, in and by which the appellant was convicted under sections 4 and 10 of The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 [ in short “POCSO Act”] and sentenced to undergo imprisonment for life and to pay a fine of Rs.5,000/- in default to undergo 6 months simple imprisonment for the offence under Section 4 of POCSO Act and sentenced to undergo 7 years imprisonment and to pay a fine of Rs.5,000/- in default to undergo 6 months simple imprisonment for the offence under Section 10 of the POCSO Act.

2. Facts leading to the filing of this appeal are as follows:

2.1. The accused Saravanan, who belongs to Thagapatti Village, Salem, married one Thangammal. Out of wedlock, he begot two female children and one male child. Subsequently, he married one Sasikala and he changed the name of Sasikala as Sagunthala and lived in various places in Salem like Thagapatty, Linemedu