NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court has acquitted a man previously convicted under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, citing insufficient evidence and ambiguity in the survivor’s statements.
A bench comprising Justices Prathiba M. Singh and Amit Sharma overturned the life imprisonment sentence, noting that the survivor’s use of terms like “physical relations” lacked clarity and could not be automatically interpreted as sexual assault.
The court emphasized that the progression from terms such as “physical relations” or “samband” to sexual assault and then to penetrative sexual assault must be substantiated by clear evidence and cannot be inferred.
In this case, the minor survivor had voluntarily accompanied the accused, and her medical examination revealed no signs of physical or sexual assault.
The High Court’s decision underscores the necessity for precise and compelling evidence in sexual assault cases, particularly when dealing with minors.
Source: Web Team, C6N
