The Kerala High Court has quashed a case booked under the POCSO Act against six journalists of Malayalam news channel Asianet for allegedly disclosing the identity of a minor victim of sexual assault in a program on the ill effects of drug abuse. The court said that the channel's intention was not to disclose the victim's identity and that the program was intended to alert the public about the increasing drug abuse among youngsters in Kerala. The court also criticized some media outlets for reporting allegations without proper investigation or inquiry.
'If it is not reversed, it will set a dangerous precedent.'
The victim alleged that he was being sexually assaulted for nearly two years, they said.
The Supreme Court has allowed the parents of the RG Kar Medical College rape and murder victim to pursue their plea for a further court-monitored CBI probe into the incident before the Calcutta High Court. The parents had expressed dissatisfaction with the CBI's initial probe and sought a more thorough investigation. The court, without making comments, disposed of the application, allowing the parents to continue the proceedings before the high court. The case has also prompted the Supreme Court to consider recommendations for preventing gender-based violence and developing safety protocols for medical staff at hospitals across the nation.
Delhi Capitals bowling coach Munaf Patel has been fined 25 percent of his match fee and accumulated one demerit point for breaching the IPL Code of Conduct during the team's match against Rajasthan Royals.
Watching pornographic photographs or videos in one's private time without showing it to others is not an offence under the law as it is a matter of personal choice, the Kerala high court has held.
The CBI has taken over the investigation into the alleged assault of a colonel by Punjab Police personnel, registering two separate FIRs. The incident allegedly occurred at a roadside dhaba in Patiala.
The observations came from a bench of Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and Justice J B Pardiwala while reserving the verdict on an appeal filed by NGOs -- Just Rights for Children Alliance of Faridabad and New Delhi-based Bachpan Bachao Andolan -- challenging a Madras high court verdict.
The horrific crime, which resulted in the girl becoming pregnant, came to light on June 9 after she filed a complaint recently.
Covering 37 different legislations such as the Partnership Act of 1932, Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, and laws on environmental protection, consumer protection and labour interests, the recommendations have been shared with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
The government may drop its plan to decriminalise cheque bounce offences after there were requests to continue the existing system, which can potentially make people honour their financial commitments due to fear of prosecution. It would seek directions from a Supreme Court panel formed to expedite the pendency of cheque bounce cases before taking a final call. Last year the Department of Financial Services (DFS) had proposed decriminalising minor offences, which included cheque bouncing, for improving business sentiment and unclogging court processes.
Legal experts had deplored the observation of the Allahabad high xourt on what constitutes a rape charge, calling for a restraint by judges and underlining the drop in public confidence in the judiciary due to such statements.
The order was passed by Justice Ram Manohar Narayan Mishra on a revision petition filed by two persons who moved the court, challenging the order of a Special Judge of Kasganj by which the court had summoned them under Section 376 of IPC apart from other sections.
The Bombay high court on Monday ordered a first information report (FIR) against five policemen for the custodial death of Badlapur sexual assault case accused Akshay Shinde, allegedly shot dead in a police van in September 2024, and setting up of an Special Investigation Team, noting that a prima facie offence is disclosed.
Freedom of speech is subject to reasonable restrictions and it does not include the freedom to make defamatory statements against any person or the Indian Army, the Allahabad High Court has said, rejecting Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's plea to quash summons against him for alleged derogatory remarks during his Bharat Jodo Yatra in 2022.
Haribhushan Thakur Bachaul, the MLA from Bisfi assembly constituency in Madhubani district, made these remarks while speaking to reporters at the Vidhan Sabha premises.
The counsel also submitted before Rouse Avenue Court on the point of jurisdiction and limitations in the matter. He said the allegations are time barred.
A bench of Justices B R Gavai and Augustine George Masih observed it was pained to say that some of the observations made in the high court order depicted total insensitiveness and an inhuman approach.
The deceased has been identified as Yugual Yadav (65), he said. Police have arrested four persons, including a relative of a 'tantric' in connection with the incident, the officer said on Friday, adding that the tantric is absconding.
The Bombay High Court has ruled that Pushpa Ganediwala, the former HC judge who had faced criticism for a series of controversial judgments in POCSO Act cases, is entitled to receive pension on par with a high court judge. Ganediwala was demoted as district sessions judge at the end of her additional judgeship in 2022 following an uproar over some judgments passed by her on the interpretation of what constitutes a sexual assault under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. She had filed a petition challenging a communication issued by the HC registrar declaring that she was not eligible for pension of a HC judge. The court quashed the communication and directed the registry to fix her pension with 6% interest from February 2022.
"It is shocking that the Supreme Court is adjudicating bail pleas in cases that should be disposed of at the trial court level. The system is being burdened unnecessarily," Justice Oka said while hearing a bail plea.
A special court in India has sentenced a man to "triple death sentence" for the rape and murder of a five-year-old girl last year. The court deemed the crime "rarest of rare" and declared the accused "extremely cruel and bestial." His mother and sister were also sentenced to two years in prison for helping to cover up the crime.
Enraged by the sexual assault, the victim's family and passengers thrashed Kumar.
Virat Kohli was not extended any special treatment, asserted India great Sunil Gavaskar, but some former Australia players felt the batting superstar got away lightly for his physical altercation with debutant Sam Konstas in the ongoing Boxing Day Test in Melbourne.
Eleven men were arrested for allegedly raping a minor girl hailing from Odisha on different occasions in Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh, police said on Monday.
A 15-year-old boy caught stealing a packet of chips from a shop was allegedly beaten up and paraded naked in Shimla district, police said on Sunday.
The survivor's father claimed the family had been cheated by their lawyer who did not file an objection to Asaram's bail plea despite getting all the papers ready.
Bangladesh's interim government has requested India to extradite deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who has been living in exile in India since August. The request comes after the Bangladesh-based International Crimes Tribunal issued arrest warrants for Hasina and several others for "crimes against humanity and genocide." The interim government has cited an existing extradition treaty between the two countries as grounds for the request. Hasina has accused the interim government of perpetrating "genocide" and failing to protect minorities since her ouster.
An eight-year-old girl has alleged that she was sexually assaulted by two boys inside the washroom of her school in this district, police said on Monday.
The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita 2023 and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam 2023 mark a significant step towards empowering Indian citizens and aim to create a more accessible, supportive and efficient justice system for everyone, official sources said.
The non-reporting of sexual assault against a minor despite knowledge is a "serious crime" and an attempt to shield the offenders, the Supreme Court said on Wednesday.
The incident came to light during a session on sexual offences against children organised in the college. During the discussion, a girl student looked depressed and when she was taken into confidence, she told counsellors about the 16-year-old victim, who is her friend, and ordeal she is going through.
Andhra Pradesh has become the first state in India to introduce community service as a punishment for those serving up to six months in jails for minor offences.
The Bombay High Court granted bail to a lesbian couple, arrested for allegedly kidnapping a five-year-old girl, noting that at worst it can be said they undertook an illegal approach to fulfill their desire to have a child. The court acknowledged the couple's desire to have a child and their inability to do so biologically, stating that they would now also be unable to adopt a minor child. The couple had been in jail for eight months. The FIR against the couple was registered in March this year on a complaint by the child's parents in suburban Mumbai. The couple allegedly paid Rs 9,000 to the other accused in the case for arranging the child.
The accused has been apprehended, a senior police officer said.
Khakha, who has since been suspended by the Delhi government, allegedly raped the minor several times between November 2020 and January 2021 and impregnated her.
The bench wondered if it struck down the immunity clause in the penal codes then the offence will be covered under the main provision on rape or "can the court create a separate offence or adjudicate the validity of the exception (clause)".
Two persons were arrested for alleged voyeurism after some female students at a private engineering college in Medchal, near Hyderabad, accused the cooking staff of recording them in the hostel washrooms, police said on Sunday.
Modi also suggested them to identify redundant laws in their respective ministries and move towards scrapping them, the sources said.
Tensions flared in Madhya Pradesh's Mhow town and Gandhinagar district of Gujarat amid celebrations of the Indian cricket team's victory in the ICC Champions Trophy, resulting in unrest and multiple arrests across the two states.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances