Latest news with #ProtectionofChildrenagainstSexualOffences
Indian Express
28-05-2025
- Indian Express
Delhi court grants POCSO accused bail after notice not served to him, ‘warns' police to be careful in future
A Delhi Court last week granted bail to a man accused of sexually assaulting a minor under the Protection of Children against Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, citing procedural lapses by the police. 'As per this reply, the notice u/s 35(3) BNSS was served to the father of the accused. The considerable fact is that notice is required to be served to the accused, and if the accused is not traceable, then it would be served to any of his family members. In the present matter, there is no such fact on record that the accused was not traceable…,' said Additional Sessions Judge Amit Sahrawat of Rohini Court in his order dated May 24. Section 35(3) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita states that a 'police officer shall, in all cases where the arrest of a person is not required under sub-section (1) issue a notice directing the person against whom a reasonable complaint has been made, or credible information has been received, or a reasonable suspicion exists that he has committed a cognizable offence, to appear before him or at such other place as may be specified in the notice.' The prosecution, which was represented by Special Public Prosecutor Vineet Dahiya, submitted before the court that they had arrested the accused because he didn't have a place to stay in Delhi, and he didn't cooperate in the investigation. They also argued that he could threaten the victim. 'Regarding the grounds of arrest, it is observed that the father of the accused was traceable… The accused could appear for investigation on same day of serving notice, and thus there is no merit in the ground that there was no proper place or address of the accused,' the court said 'warning' the investigating officer, station house officer, and assistant commissioner of police 'to be careful in future'. 'As far as it is concerned that the accused was not disclosing facts about the incident, then it is the fundamental right of the accused to remain silent as per Article 20 of the Indian Constitution,' the court observed.
Hindustan Times
25-05-2025
- Hindustan Times
Vanrai police rescue girl kidnapped by boy she met on gaming app
A 16-year-old girl was rescued by the Vanrai police on Saturday after being allegedly kidnapped by a 17-year-old boy who she met through a gaming app three months ago. He has been booked under sections of the Protection of Children against Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. The police said that the girl, a resident of Goregaon whose mother was a domestic help and father worked at a private company, met and began chatting with the boy through a gaming app. She was then lured by the boy and called to Varanasi a week ago, said police. He then allegedly confined her in his house. Raju Mane, senior police inspector of Vanrai police station, said that after her parents reported her missing, the police registered a kidnapping complaint and began tracing her mobile phone's location. The parents had told the police that the girl was active on social media and a few gaming sites, Mane added. Through her account on the gaming app, the police contacted some of her friends, and they informed the police about the boy. The Vanrai police then traced the location of the boy to Varanasi, and with the local police's help, rescued the girl from his house. 'Since the boy is also a minor, we have served him notice to be present before the Vanrai police for further investigation. We have booked the boy under sections of the Protection of Children against Sexual Offences Act,' said Mane.
Mint
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Mint
Supreme Court asks Centre to establish POCSO courts on ‘top priority basis'
The Supreme Court on Thursday asked the central government to establish POCSO courts on "top priority basis" to exclusively deal with cases of sexual offences against children. Due to the inadequacy of the number of exclusive courts for the Protection of Children against Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act cases, the timelines mandated under the law for completion of trials weren't adhered to, said the apex court. "It is therefore expected that the union of India and the state governments shall take appropriate steps to sensitise the officials associated with the investigation of POCSO cases, and also to create dedicated courts to try POCSO cases on top priority basis," said a Supreme Court bench of Justices Bela M. Trivedi and PB Varale. The apex court was hearing a petition underlining the "alarming rise in the number of reported child rape incidents" in a suo motu case. The court also directed filing of chargesheets within the mandatory period stipulated in law besides completing trials within the prescribed time frame. The SC noted that while majority states, with the funding from the Centre, complied with the directions for setting up exclusive courts for POCSO cases, in Tamil Nadu, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Orissa, Maharashtra, and a few other states, more POCSO courts were required given the pendency of such cases. Earlier, the top court had directed senior advocate and amicus curiae V. Giri and senior advocate Uttara Babbar to submit state-wise details on the status of POCSO courts. It asked states to set up two designated courts in districts where the number of pending cases of child abuse under the POCSO Act was more than 300. A court in Thane has sentenced a 32-year-old man to ten years' rigorous imprisonment for the rape and sexual assault of a then 11-year-old girl in the district in 2013. Dinesh S. Deshmukh, special judge for Protection Of Children from Sexual Offences Act cases, delivered the verdict on Wednesday. Bablu alias Mohammad Mustapha Imtiyaz Shaikh who was 20 years old at the time of the crime was found guilty under relevant sections of the POCSO Act and for rape under the Indian Penal Code.
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Business Standard
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Business Standard
SC directs Centre to set up special POCSO court on priority basis
The Supreme Court on Thursday directed the Centre to set up on "top priority basis" dedicated POCSO courts to exclusively deal with cases of sexual offences against children. A bench of Justices Bela M Trivedi and P B Varale said due to the inadequacy of the number of exclusive courts for the Protection of Children against Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act cases, the timelines mandated under the law for completion of trials weren't adhered to. "It is therefore expected that the union of India and the state governments shall take appropriate steps to sensitise the officials associated with the investigation of POCSO cases, and also to create dedicated courts to try POCSO cases on top priority basis," the bench said. The top court further directed filing of chargesheets within the mandatory period stipulated in law besides completing trials within the prescribed time frame. The apex court noted while majority states, with the funding from the Centre, complied with the directions for setting up exclusive courts for POCSO cases, in Tamil Nadu, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Orissa, Maharashtra, and a few other states, more POCSO courts were required given the pendency of such cases. The top court had previously directed senior advocate and amicus curiae V Giri and senior advocate Uttara Babbar to submit state-wise details on the status of POCSO courts. The apex court was hearing a petition underlining the "alarming rise in the number of reported child rape incidents" in a suo motu case. The top court asked states to set up two designated courts in districts where the number of pending cases of child abuse under the POCSO Act was more than 300. It made it clear that its July 2019 direction to set up one court in each district with more than 100 FIRs under POCSO Act meant a designated court would only deal with such cases under the law. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Hindu
15-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Supreme Court directs Centre to set up special POCSO courts on priority basis
The Supreme Court on Thursday (May 15, 2025) directed the Centre to set up on "top priority basis" dedicated POCSO courts to exclusively deal with cases of sexual offences against children. A Bench of Justices Bela M. Trivedi and P.B. Varale said due to the inadequacy of the number of exclusive courts for the Protection of Children against Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act cases, the timelines mandated under the law for completion of trials weren't adhered to. "It is therefore expected that the union of India and the State governments shall take appropriate steps to sensitise the officials associated with the investigation of POCSO cases, and also to create dedicated courts to try POCSO cases on top priority basis," the Bench said. The Supreme Court further directed filing of charge sheets within the mandatory period stipulated in law besides completing trials within the prescribed time frame. The Supreme Court noted while majority States, with the funding from the Centre, complied with the directions for setting up exclusive courts for POCSO cases, in Tamil Nadu, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Orissa, Maharashtra, and a few other States, more POCSO courts were required given the pendency of such cases. The Supreme Court had previously directed senior advocate and amicus curiae V. Giri and senior advocate Uttara Babbar to submit State-wise details on the status of POCSO courts. The Supreme Court was hearing a petition underlining the "alarming rise in the number of reported child rape incidents" in a suo motu case. The Supreme Court asked States to set up two designated courts in districts where the number of pending cases of child abuse under the POCSO Act was more than 300. It made it clear that its July 2019 direction to set up one court in each district with more than 100 FIRs under POCSO Act meant a designated court would only deal with such cases under the law.
