A cook at a government ashram school in Thane district, Ganpat Gavli, arrested for allegedly molesting 22 minor female students, was a habitual offender who had previously been jailed under the POCSO Act and reinstated, an official revealed.
A 14-year-old girl, missing for a month, has been found in Gurugram. Police have arrested an individual from Rajasthan and charged him under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act.
Delhi Police have arrested a 38-year-old man, Rinku alias Monu, who was a proclaimed offender in a rape and POCSO Act case. He had been evading court proceedings since 2024 and was apprehended following a tip-off.
A 22-year-old Uttar Pradesh resident, Ubaid, has been arrested in Shimla under the POCSO Act following a complaint from a minor's family alleging misbehaviour. Police have registered a case and warned against spreading misinformation after locals paraded two other individuals.
A 14-year-old girl, missing for a month, has been found in Gurugram. Police have arrested a 19-year-old man from Rajasthan and charged him under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
The action was taken after a Prayagraj court directed that a case be registered on an application moved by Ashutosh Brahmachari Maharaj and others.
A case under the POCSO Act has been registered against the son of Union Minister Bandi Sanjay Kumar following allegations of sexual harassment. The minister's son has also filed a counter-complaint alleging extortion and criminal intimidation against the girl and her parents.
Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati, accused of sexual abuse, has filed a case against his accuser under the POCSO Act, claiming the law allows action against false accusations. He has also sought anticipatory bail from the Allahabad High Court.
A case has been registered against the son of Union Minister Bandi Sanjay Kumar under the POCSO Act following allegations of sexual harassment of a minor girl. The accused has alleged extortion and criminal intimidation by the teen and her parents.
A 17-year-old student gave birth to a premature baby boy in a school washroom during a Class 10 board examination in Madhya Pradesh's Dhar district, leading to a police investigation under the POCSO Act.
A Gurugram court has sentenced a man, Indrajeet alias Ashu, to 20 years imprisonment for the rape of a 17-year-old girl. The court also imposed significant fines under the POCSO Act and IPC sections. The case, which dates back to April 2023, involved a thorough investigation by Gurugram police, leading to the conviction.
The Kerala High Court has dismissed a petition seeking to quash criminal proceedings against a man accused of repeatedly raping a 17-year-old girl. The court ruled that even if a marriage was solemnised under Muslim religious rites, it would not protect the accused from criminal liability under the POCSO Act, reinforcing that the Act applies when one party is a minor, irrespective of personal law.
A POCSO court in Assam's Dhubri district has sentenced Utpal Roy to death for the rape and murder of a four-year-old girl in 2023. The judge cited the 'rarest of rare' category for the capital punishment.
A special POCSO court in Thane has convicted a 20-year-old man for sexually assaulting a 16-year-old girl, sentencing him to three years of rigorous imprisonment. The court relied heavily on the victim's "clear and cogent" testimony and rejected the plea for probation, citing the fear and insecurity caused by the accused's actions.
A 49-year-old physical education teacher, Shashidhar, accused of sexually assaulting children, died after jumping from the third floor of the Bengaluru South district Superintendent of Police's office complex in Ramanagara. He was arrested under the POCSO Act, and the incident, captured on CCTV, occurred while he was being escorted for judicial custody procedures.
In a high-profile POCSO case, Chennai police have discovered more minor victims of sexual harassment allegedly by granite businessman R Veeramani, with investigators suspecting the abuse spans over two decades. Additional victims' statements have been recorded, and the case involves charges under POCSO, IT, and SC/ST Acts.
The Central Crime Branch in Chennai has uncovered evidence suggesting that granite businessman R Veeramani's alleged sexual harassment of minors may span over two decades, predating 2003. The investigation, which began with a 2019 video clip, has identified multiple survivors, leading to charges under the POCSO Act, IT Act, and SC/ST Act against Veeramani and two accomplices. The Child Welfare Committee is also monitoring the case for further action.
Justices Urmila Joshi Phalke and Nandesh Deshpande of the HC's Nagpur bench, in the order passed on September 26, refused to accept the man's contention that he was in a consensual relationship with the 17-year-old girl and had registered the marriage only when she turned 18.
The Allahabad High Court has ruled that Muslim personal law, which recognises puberty as the age of marriage, cannot override the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act (PCMA) and the Prevention of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, which criminalise sexual relations with a child.
Bihar Police have arrested three individuals in connection with a deeply disturbing viral video from Jamui showing the harassment of a young couple, an incident that has sparked widespread social media outrage and strong political condemnation.
A 50-year-old man has been arrested in northwest Delhi's Rohini area for allegedly molesting a seven-year-old girl. The incident occurred when the girl went to a shop, leading to a police complaint and registration of a case under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and POCSO Act.
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.
The Supreme Court, using its extraordinary powers under Article 142, has quashed the conviction of a man sentenced under the POCSO Act. This decision came after the victim, who was a minor at the time of the offence, married the accused upon reaching adulthood. The court emphasised that this ruling is based on the peculiar facts of the case and should not be considered a precedent.
Police in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district have arrested two youths, Joy Pal and Debabrata Mallick, for allegedly raping two girls, including a 13-year-old. The arrests followed a complaint after one victim went missing, and further investigation revealed a second victim. A case has been registered under the POCSO Act.
A prominent member of India's shooting coaching staff, Ankush Bhardwaj, has been accused of sexual harassment by a minor shooter.
A 17-year-old girl in Raigad, Maharashtra, was allegedly raped repeatedly by five individuals, including two minors, resulting in her pregnancy. The adult accused have been arrested, and the minors detained. The crime came to light after her pregnancy was discovered, leading to a case being registered under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and POCSO Act.
The ongoing police investigation into the POCSO case against granite baron R Veeramani has led to the identification of multiple survivors, many of whom were minors and from economically underprivileged backgrounds when allegedly assaulted. Charges under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act have been added, and Veeramani has been granted three days police custody for questioning within the prison due to his age and health.
A 19-year-old youth, Nitin Ganesh Salunkhe, accused of stalking and sexually harassing a girl under the POCSO Act, has been acquitted by a special court in Belapur. The acquittal came after the victim turned hostile during the trial, denying any knowledge of the accused or the incident.
The Supreme Court on Monday suggested that Parliament should seriously consider bringing an amendment to the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act for substituting the term 'child pornography' with 'child sexual exploitative and abuse material' with a view to reflect more accurately the reality of such offences.
Police in Hyderabad have filed a case against social media users who shared photos and information about the victim and her parents in the POCSO case involving the son of Union Minister Bandi Sanjay Kumar.
Hindutva influencer Swatantra Bhardwaj has been remanded to one-day judicial custody by a Delhi court in connection with the alleged assault on the father of a student activist during a protest at Jantar Mantar. The Delhi Police have added charges under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and criminal intimidation, along with a POCSO case, following his detention and previous claims of "cracking the skull" of the activist's father.
The Supreme Court has declined to interfere with the Allahabad High Court's decision to grant anticipatory bail to Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati in a case registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
Hindutva influencer Swatantra Bhardwaj has been remanded to one-day police custody by a Delhi court judge, facing charges under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, criminal intimidation, and the POCSO Act following allegations of assault and online harassment.
A 52-year-old government school headmaster in Hoshiarpur has been arrested for allegedly raping an 11-year-old girl earlier this month. The case was registered under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and POCSO Act, with investigations ongoing.
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 man accused under the POCSO Act, who escaped from a Mumbai hospital while receiving treatment, has been re-arrested in Ambernath, Thane district.
The commission, in its report submitted to the law ministry, said the amendments are necessary as such cases do not merit to be dealt with the same severity as the cases that were ideally imagined to fall under the POCSO Act.
Union Minister Bandi Sanjay Kumar's son, Bhageerath, has petitioned the Telangana High Court for anticipatory bail in a POCSO case involving allegations of sexual harassment of a minor. He has also filed a petition to quash the criminal case. The case was registered based on a complaint by the mother of the alleged victim.
The Uttarakhand High Court upheld a 10-year rigorous imprisonment sentence for a man convicted of raping a minor girl under the POCSO Act, dismissing his appeal and affirming the evidentiary value of school records for age determination.
A government school teacher in Jammu and Kashmir's Kishtwar district has been dismissed from service following his alleged involvement in the rape and subsequent death of a 15-year-old girl. The dismissal was enacted under Article 311(2)(b) of the Constitution, with authorities citing the case as "rarest of the rare."