JUDGMENT :

G.ARUL MURUGAN, J.

This Criminal Appeal has been preferred by the Appellant/accused challenging the Judgment dated 28.02.2022 in Spl.C.C.No.104 of 2019 passed by the learned Sessions Judge, Special Court for Exclusive Trial of Cases under POCSO Act, Coimbatore.

2. The appellant was convicted for the offence under Section 4 of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 (for brevity, “POCSO Act”) & Section 366(A) of IPC and sentenced as follows:

3. According to the prosecution, P.W.3 /victim girl is a minor studying 12^th Standard in NGNG Higher Secondary School, Reddiarur. P.W.3 is the friend of one Sowmiya (sister of accused). P.W.3 used to visit the house of her friend Sowmiya. While so, P.W.3 developed love affair with Sowmiya’s brother/ accused. When P.W.3 was in love with accused, on 05.06.2019, accused had called P.W.3 to come to his grandmother’s house. P.W.3 had gone to the Appellant’s grandmother’s house, wh