Child abuse case: Indian couple in Norway file appeal

An Indian software professional and his wife, who were convicted for "serious child abuse" of their seven-year-old son, have filed an appeal in a higher court in Norway.

Chandrasekhar Vallabhaneni and his wife Anupama, who were arrested by police last month, were sentenced by Oslo District Court to jail terms for 18 months and 15 months respectively on Tuesday for gross or repeated maltreatment of their child/children by threats, violence or other wrong.

They have now filed an appeal in a higher court, sources said. The defence hearing in the case is scheduled for today, the sources said.

In the view of the Oslo District Court, the couple had "deliberately burned their son's leg with a hot spoon or similar object with the result that the child had burn marks measuring approximately 3 x 5 centimetres."

The court had said it had been proven that on one occasion the parents had even threatened to brand their son's tongue with a hot spoon. The jail terms of 18 months for the father and 15 months for the mother were proposed by the prosecution.