The Allahabad High Court granted bail to an 18-year-old boy, observing that the POCSO Act was never meant to criminalise consensual romantic relationships between adolescents. The Court stressed that ignoring the victim’s statement would amount to injustice.
The Karnataka High Court has ruled that the POCSO Act is gender neutral and applies to both men and women. It refused to quash the FIR against a 52-year-old woman accused of sexually assaulting a 13-year-old boy in Bengaluru.
The Calcutta High Court, while acquitting a teenager in a POCSO case, advised adolescent boys and girls to respect dignity, control sexual urges, and seek meaningful relationships built on commitment.
The Madhya Pradesh High Court has requested the Central Government to reduce the age of consent from 18 to 16, highlighting how the current law is causing injustice to adolescent boys involved in consensual relationships.
The Bombay High Court ruled that the absence of a wisdom tooth is not enough to prove a survivor’s age in a POCSO case. The accused was acquitted as the prosecution failed to confirm that the victim was under 18.
The Kerala High Court ruled that Muslim marriages under personal law are not excluded from the POCSO Act. Sexual relations with minors are illegal, even under the guise of marriage.
The Delhi High Court stated that the POCSO Act aims to protect children from abuse, not to criminalise consensual relationships among young adults. The Court granted bail to an accused in such a case.
A Mumbai court has sentenced a 25-year-old businessman to 1.5 years in jail for calling a minor girl an “item”, stating that such comments outrage a woman’s modesty and reflect sexual harassment.
A man spent over three years in jail after being falsely accused of rape by his daughter under her uncle’s influence. A Ghaziabad court has now acquitted the father and punished the uncle for provoking the false charge.
A Delhi court has acquitted a Dalit man who was falsely accused of raping minors. The court found that the case was fabricated due to caste hatred and personal grudges. ₹1 lakh compensation was ordered for the accused.
