Supreme Court Quashes POCSO Proceedings in Light of Marital Settlement
Supreme Court Quashes POCSO Proceedings in Light of Marital Settlement: A Case Analysis By Abhishek Jat, Advocate In a landmark judgment, the Supreme Court of India recently quashed criminal proceedings under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012, and related provisions of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), in a case where the accused and the victim are now happily married. The Court emphasized that continuing the prosecution would serve no meaningful purpose and would only cause undue harassment to the parties involved and their children. The decision, delivered by a division bench comprising Justices Abhay S. Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan, underscores the importance of judicial discretion in balancing legal rigor with humanitarian considerations. Background of the Case The case originated from a First Information Report (FIR) registered on September 18, 2016, under Sections 354A (sexual harassment), 363 (kidnapping), 366 (kidnapping or inducing a woman to com...