Clearing the deck for a speedy trial, the Special Court for the trial of POCSO Act cases in Coimbatore on Monday, June 15, 2026, framed charges against the two persons arrested in connection with the sexual assault-cum-murder of a 10-year-old girl near Sulur here on May 21.

The first accused, K. Karthi (35), and the second accused, R. Mohan (31), both residents of Pallapalayam near Sulur, were produced before Judge T. Bagavathiammal and the charges against the duo were read out.

As per the 819-page charge sheet filed by the police on June 10, Karthi was charged for offences under Sections 61(2)(a), 140(1), 140(4), 103(1), 238(a), 127(2), 65(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and 5(i), 5(l), 5(m), 5(j) (iv) read with 6(1) of POCSO Act. Mohan was charged under Sections 61(2)(a), 140(1), 140(4) read with 49, 238(a), 240, and 249(a) of the BNS, and 6(1) read with 16 and 17 of POCSO Act.

The court arraigned the two accused for these charges and posted to hear the case next on Tuesday. Sources said that the court ordered the prosecution to furnish the list of witnesses on Tuesday, hinting at initiating the trial in the case at the earliest.

As per the charge sheet, there are 104 prosecution witnesses. A magistrate appointed by the POCSO court conducted a test identification parade in the case at the Coimbatore Central Prison on June 2, in which Karthi was paraded along with other individuals in a line-up for two eyewitnesses.

The prosecution’s case is that Karthi abducted the minor girl from her neighbourhood at Pallapalayam on May 21 evening and took her to the private land abutting Kannampalayam tank on a motorcycle after promising to buy her chocolates. He murdered the girl after sexually assaulting her. Mohan, who was allegedly in contact with Karthi before and after the commission of the crime,  failed to disclose the crime to anyone, besides misleading the police.