The Kerala child rights panel has initiated a case into the suicide of a minor boy in Thrissur, following his father's allegations that police harassment led to the extreme step. The father accused Kodungallur police of falsely implicating his son and subjecting him to physical and mental harassment.
A POCSO court in Bahraich, Uttar Pradesh, has sentenced a man named Garibe to 20 years' rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs 30,000 for sexually assaulting a 10-year-old boy in April 2024. The conviction followed a swift investigation and chargesheet filing.
A priest from St Vincent Ferrer Church in Mangaluru, Father Cyprian Pinto, has been arrested on charges of sexually abusing minor boys. The arrest followed intervention by Mysuru-based NGO Odanadi, after initial complaints to the diocese and child protection authorities reportedly did not lead to immediate action. Police inquiries suggest at least five children were victims.
Meta has agreed to report child safety-related matters, including child sexual abuse cases, to appropriate law enforcement agencies in India, government sources confirmed, emphasising that online safety for children is a "non-negotiable" fundamental principle for social media platforms operating in the country.
Cathy Li, Head of the Centre for AI Excellence at the World Economic Forum, advocates for integrating AI literacy into India's education curriculum and incentivising AI companies to prioritise child safety. She stresses the need for localised solutions that account for India's linguistic and cultural diversity, as well as varying levels of connectivity and digital literacy, to ensure AI systems are safe and beneficial for children.
A man has been arrested in Bengaluru for allegedly sexually assaulting his eight-year-old hearing-impaired daughter. The incident came to light after the girl complained of stomach pain, leading to a medical examination and police investigation under the POCSO Act.
A 22-year-old man, Faiyaz Ali, was arrested in Bhadohi, Uttar Pradesh, for allegedly creating fake Instagram accounts to circulate child sexual abuse material and explicit chats. The arrest followed a tip-off from the Union home ministry's Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C), which flagged an Instagram account with objectionable content. Police traced the account to Ali and apprehended him while he was attempting to flee.
A fast-track court in Nashik, Maharashtra, has sentenced Vijay Sanjay Khairnar to death for the rape and murder of a four-year-old girl. The court described the crime as "rarest of the rare," stating that leniency would undermine public confidence in justice. The judge highlighted the extreme depravity of the act, committed on November 16, 2025, and ruled out life imprisonment, also directing Rs 10 lakh compensation to the victim's parents.
The National Commission for Women (NCW) has taken suo motu cognisance of a media report detailing the alleged sexual abuse of two young girls by their father in Latur, Maharashtra. The NCW has urged the Maharashtra DGP for a time-bound investigation, strict action under POCSO and BNS, and protection for the victims and their mother.
The Kerala child rights panel has directed the state government to include rugby in the upcoming annual state school sports meet, following a High Court directive. The panel also ordered the General Education Department to make arrangements for competitions and ensure children can participate in national events, and to amend the state school sports meet manual to include rugby in the 2026-27 National School Games.
The Supreme Court has granted the Centre a final opportunity to present measures taken to prevent the circulation of child sexual exploitation and abuse material on social media platforms, following a petition highlighting inconsistent compliance by intermediaries.
The Delhi government's Women and Child Development Department (WCD) has introduced a new internship and research framework, offering students in social work, psychology, and related fields structured field exposure at child care institutions and welfare centres.
An 85-year-old man has been arrested in Thane's Dombivali township for allegedly sexually assaulting a four-year-old girl. The incident occurred when the girl was playing outside her home, and the accused lured her into his house. Police have registered a case under the BNS and POCSO Act.
Top Meta India executives, including chief Arun Srinivas, appeared before the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) for the second time in a week regarding alleged Child Sexual Exploitative and Abuse Material (CSEAM) related advertisements on its platforms. Meta has committed to reporting child safety matters directly to India's I4C cybercrime portal, a significant shift from its previous practice of reporting to a US-based centre. The government is pushing for stronger safeguards and accountability from social media platforms to ensure online child safety.
Search engine major Google will also start sharing details of child sexual abuse cases and repeat offenders with the cybercrime division of the Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C) of the Ministry of Home Affairs.
A special court in Muzaffarnagar has sentenced a man named Bittu to life imprisonment for raping a six-year-old girl in 2024. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 60,000, which will be given to the survivor. The incident occurred on November 10, 2024, when the girl was abducted and raped at her home, leading to Bittu's conviction under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and POCSO Act.
A health inspector from the Thiruvananthapuram corporation, Anuroop, has been arrested in connection with the alleged sexual assault of a 16-year-old girl from Andhra Pradesh at a spa in Kovalam. The arrest follows an investigation by a Special Investigation Team, which also led to the arrest of spa owners. The case involves cash transactions between the inspector and the establishment, and the girl's maternal aunt and her husband have also been taken into custody.
A POCSO court in Bhubaneswar has sentenced Dillip Bhoi to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment for raping an eight-year-old girl near her school last year. The court also imposed a fine and ordered compensation for the victim.
Senior executives from Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, appeared before India's child rights body, NCPCR, for questioning regarding alleged advertisements promoting child sexual exploitative and abuse material (CSEAM) on its platforms. This follows a BBC report and a stern notice from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) to Meta over the issue.
The company's India head, Arun Srinivas, has been summoned by the child rights body on Thursday.
At just 13, Yu Zidi claimed her second Asian Games gold by smashing the 200m IM Asian record, finishing only 0.40 seconds behind Summer McIntosh's world record.
A man accused of raping a six-year-old girl was arrested in Sitapur, Uttar Pradesh, following an exchange of fire with police. The accused, Avdhram alias Bhole Shankar, sustained a gunshot injury and was apprehended. Police recovered a country-made pistol and cartridges, and a reward was announced for the arresting team.
A special court in Thane has acquitted a 56-year-old man accused in a child sexual assault case, citing significant failures by the prosecution, including the inability to establish the suspect's identity and lack of photographic evidence. The court also noted the victim's denial of the assault in court.
A special court in Latur, Maharashtra, has sentenced Chumbalya alias Ritesh Rajnand Kasbe to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment for sexually assaulting an eight-year-old girl last year. The verdict was delivered under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and POCSO Act, with the court also imposing a Rs 5,000 fine.
The UN General Assembly has adopted a resolution, co-sponsored by India, to designate November 27 as the International Day for the Elimination of Child, Early and Forced Marriage. This global initiative aims to raise awareness and accelerate efforts to combat this harmful practice, which disproportionately affects women and girls, hindering their education, health, and overall human rights.
A special POCSO court in Muzaffarnagar has sentenced a man and a woman to 10 years imprisonment and a fine of Rs 20,000 each for the 2019 rape of a 14-year-old girl. The convicts, Vikas and Lalita, were found guilty under various IPC sections and the POCSO Act.
A Delhi court has denied bail to Raj Kumar, an accused in an inter-state child trafficking racket, emphasising that child trafficking is a "heinous scourge" and an "onslaught on the moral conscience of civilised society." The court highlighted the vulnerability of children and the commercialisation of infants, noting that the complainant's newborn is still missing and the accused's wife has prior involvement in similar cases.
A madrasa teacher, Sayid Mohammed Naufal, was arrested in Kochi for allegedly sexually assaulting a nine-year-old girl on a ship travelling from Lakshadweep. The incident occurred during the voyage, and the accused was detained by ship security after the girl informed her mother. Police registered a case under the POCSO Act, and Naufal was remanded to judicial custody.
A POCSO court in Assam's Dhubri district has sentenced Utpal Ray to death for the rape and murder of a four-year-old girl in 2023, terming the crime "rarest of rare". The convict also received life imprisonment for rape and other sentences for related offences.
The Delhi High Court has permitted the termination of a 31-week pregnancy for a 16-year-old sexual assault victim, citing that it would not be appropriate to burden the minor with childbirth and raising a child. The court recognised the termination as a human right affecting the victim's dignified existence and directed the state to cover medical expenses, ensuring foetal tissue preservation for DNA testing and offering adoption if the child is born alive.
A Fast-Track Special Court in Hoshiarpur has sentenced a 33-year-old migrant labourer, Nanke Yadav alias Radhe Sham, to death for the aggravated sexual assault and murder of a five-year-old boy. The court termed it a 'rarest of rare' case, with the death sentence subject to confirmation by the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
A 19-year-old man was arrested in Chennai for allegedly sexually abusing a 16-year-old girl he befriended on social media. Police acted swiftly on the mother's complaint. The article also mentions a separate arrest of a school principal under the POCSO Act and clarifies another ongoing investigation.
'When her child is in danger, I don't think a mother has any boundaries in her mind.'
Bengaluru police have arrested four individuals for allegedly forcing minor children into begging. The operation led to the rescue of 13 children, who were found begging at traffic signals across the city. The accused admitted to their involvement, and the children have been handed over to the Child Welfare Committee.
A four-year-old boy was allegedly sexually abused by a 14-year-old neighbour in Pehowa, Haryana. The incident came to light when the child narrated it to his mother. The accused teenager has been booked under the POCSO Act, and the victim is undergoing treatment at LNJP Hospital.
Arunachal Pradesh Women and Child Development Minister Dasanglu Pul launched a child rights awareness initiative to promote a safe, child-friendly environment across the state. The initiative includes pamphlets educating children, parents, and teachers on key child protection laws.
The Supreme Court has issued a landmark directive against immediate arrests in Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act cases where the accused is a parent or family member living with the child, and a matrimonial dispute exists. The ruling mandates psychological evaluation of the child by experts before police or courts form an opinion to arrest, aiming to prevent the misuse of the law in estranged couple cases.
An Odisha court in Keonjhar district has sentenced a 29-year-old man to life imprisonment for raping his four-year-old daughter last year. The verdict was delivered on Tuesday, and the court also ordered Rs 10 lakh in financial assistance for the minor victim.
Here are nine lessons, one for each night of the Navratri festival, that can help any household think about protection clearly.
A Palghar court has sentenced Madhu Dharma Govari to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment for sexually assaulting a minor boy. The court rejected the defence's claim of improbability in a crowded locality, emphasizing that "bystander apathy" does not undermine a victim's testimony. Forensic evidence and the victim's credible account corroborated the conviction under POCSO Act and IPC.
