Arrest illegal, court orders release of 2 Pocso accused
Mumbai: In a strong rebuke to police procedure, the sessions court at Kalyan ordered the immediate release of two individuals arrested under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act, ruling that their detention was illegal due to violations of constitutional safeguards.
Tired of too many ads? go ad free now
VA Patravale, the special judge of the Pocso court, observed that the accused, arrested on May 13, 2025, by Vitthalwadi police, were not informed of the grounds of arrest at the time of detention, nor were any such details conveyed to their families. This omission, the court said, amounted to a gross breach of Article 22(1) of the Constitution.
The minor girl's parents alleged that three boys, including one juvenile boy, allegedly sexually assaulted their minor daughter. According to the girl's mother, her daughter stepped outside their building around noon to relieve herself near a tree where construction work was underway. Shortly after, they heard the girl screaming. On rushing outside, the girl alleged three boys dragged her into a nearby room, physically assaulted her and then fled.
— Ahmed Ali
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
24 minutes ago
- Time of India
'Ridiculous and false': Joe Biden refutes autopen misuse allegations as Trump orders probe into 'conspiracy'
Former US President Joe Biden defended himself on Wednesday amid allegations of autopen misuse, asserting his full control of White House operations during his presidency. The now-president Donald Trump initiated an inquiry into Biden's administration, claiming that senior officials employed autopen signatures to mask the former president's mental deterioration. Refuting the claims, Biden released a statement asserting, "I made the decisions about the pardons, executive orders, legislation, and proclamations. Any suggestion that I didn't is ridiculous and false." "This is nothing more than a distraction by Donald Trump and Congressional Republicans who are working to push disastrous legislation that would cut essential programs like Medicaid and raise costs on American families, all to pay for tax breaks for the ultra-wealthy and big corporations," he continued. This comes as Trump, on Wednesday, directed Attorney General Pam Bondi to investigate top Biden officials, suggesting they possibly collaborated to mislead the public about his cognitive state and exercised presidential authority via autopen. An autopen functions as a mechanical apparatus that produces genuine-looking signatures through the physical control of writing tools. These devices differ from traditional stamps and digital signature printing methods, as they work with diverse writing implements ranging from ballpoint pens to permanent markers, according to product details of commercially available autopens, as Fox News reported. Notably, The Justice Department has accepted the practice of using autopen for signing both legislation and pardons across various presidential administrations. The presidential pardon power, as explicitly outlined in the Constitution, is absolute, and Trump's assertions regarding Biden's knowledge of specific actions remain unsubstantiated without any supporting evidence. Also read: What is Autopen? Signature device used by Biden to sign pardons; Trump orders inquiry In a Wednesday memo, Trump emphasised that presidential signatures carry substantial authority and responsibility. These signatures transform proposals into laws, enable governmental appointments, establish or remove national policies, and grant prisoner releases. "In recent months, it has become increasingly apparent that former President Biden's aides abused the power of Presidential signatures through the use of an autopen to conceal Biden's cognitive decline and assert Article II authority," Trump wrote. "This conspiracy marks one of the most dangerous and concerning scandals in American history. The American public was purposefully shielded from discovering who wielded the executive power, all while Biden's signature was deployed across thousands of documents to effect radical policy shifts," he added. "Given clear indications that President Biden lacked the capacity to exercise his Presidential authority, if his advisors secretly used the mechanical signature pen to conceal this incapacity, while taking radical executive actions all in his name, that would constitute an unconstitutional wielding of the power of the Presidency, a circumstance that would have implications for the legality and validity of numerous executive actions undertaken in Biden's name," Trump further said. House Republicans, under Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer's leadership, commenced an investigation last month to assess whether Biden, experiencing declining health in his presidency's final months, was mentally capable of authorising autopen usage. Comer indicated last week he would consider requiring Biden to appear before the House for questioning if needed. Trump has made similar accusations in the past as well. In March, Trump argued that any preemptive pardons signed by President Biden using an autopen for House select committee members who conducted the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack investigation would be deemed "void" and "vacant."
The Hindu
35 minutes ago
- The Hindu
20 years imprisonment in POCSO case
The special court for POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) Act awarded 20 years imprisonment to a youth on Thursday for sexually assaulting a minor girl. According to prosecution, Velayutham, 31, of Gopalasamudram under Munneerpallam police station limits sexually assaulted a minor girl in 2018 and issued death threat to her when she informed her parents about it. Based on the complaint from the victim, the Munneerpallam police arrested Velayutham, a history-sheeter, under the POCSO Act. Special Court for POCSO Cases judge Suresh Kumar awarded 20 years imprisonment and slapped a fine of ₹20,000 on Thursday. Velayutham has now been lodged in Salem Central Prison after being arrested in connection with a murder case.
The Hindu
35 minutes ago
- The Hindu
10 detained under Goondas Act in Tirunelveli City, Tenkasi district
A total of 10 persons including two accused arrested under the POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act) and six ganja peddlers were detained under the Goondas Act in Tirunelveli City and Tenkasi district on Thursday. According to Commissioner of Police Santosh Hadimani, six persons, all disrupting the law and order and selling ganja, were arrested and detained under the Goondas Act in Tirunelveli City. After the police filed cases on various occasions against S. Suresh, 39, and E. Seeni Mariappan, 33, of Melapalayam, V. Arumuga Nainar, 39, and his younger brother V. Lakshmanan, 37, of Tirunelveli Town, M. Abdul Khader, 31, of Pettai, and T. Selvam, 41, of Thaazhaiyooththu and arrested them for undermining law and order and selling ganja. All the six were detained under the Goondas Act on Thursday as per the order from Mr. Santosh Hadimani. In Tenkasi district, M. Masanamuthu alias Kumar, 27, of Indra Nagar was arrested by the Sankarankovil All Women Police recently after he allegedly misbehaved with a nine-year-old girl who had come to her grandmother's house for the summer vacation. The Alangulam All Women Police arrested T. Suresh, 27, of Madaththur here for allegedly attempting to sexually assault two girl children aged six and 10 during the temple festival held in Alangulam area recently. History-sheeter C. Manikandan alias 'Vaaththu' Manikandan, 24, of Ponnaakkudi Samaththuvapuram near Palayamkottai, who is facing five cases in various places of Tirunelveli and Tenkasi districts, was arrested by the Chokkampatti police for robbery. The Chokkampatti police also arrested S. Mahendrakumar, 28, of Melaneelithanallur, who is facing several cases for selling ganja, for allegedly in possession of the narcotic substance for selling it to his customers. Based on the recommendation from Superintendent of Police S. Aravind, District Collector A.K. Kamal Kishore detained them under the Goondas Act on Thursday.
