Last week, the Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court passed a controversial order. The bench acquitted a man of sexual assault on the grounds that pressing the breasts of a child over her clothes without direct “skin to skin” physical contact does not constitute “sexual assault” under the The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. The judgement since then has faced a lot of criticism from legal experts and social activists.
In this episode, we talk to Apurva Vishwanath, who covers law for the Indian Express, about the concerns and questions that the ruling raises about mandatory sentencing, the implications that it could have on future cases, and the need for specialised judges that only deal with POCSO cases.
You can follow us and leave us feedback on Facebook and Twitter @expresspodcasts, or send us an email at [email protected]. If you like this show, please subscribe and leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts, so other people can find us. You can also find us on https://indianexpress.com/audio.
Why Bombay HC acquitted a man of sexual assault under the POCSO ActLast week, the Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court passed a controversial order. The bench acquitted a man of sexual assault on the grounds that pressing the breasts of a child over her clothes without direct “skin to skin” physical contact does not constitute “sexual assault” under the The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. The judgement since then has faced a lot of criticism from legal experts and social activists.
In this episode, we talk to Apurva Vishwanath, who covers law for the Indian Express, about the concerns and questions that the ruling raises about mandatory sentencing, the implications that it could have on future cases, and the need for specialised judges that only deal with POCSO cases.
You can follow us and leave us feedback on Facebook and Twitter @expresspodcasts, or send us an email at [email protected]. If you like this show, please subscribe and leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts, so other people can find us. You can also find us on https://www.indianexpress.com/audio.
Source: https://indianexpress.com/audio/3-things/why-bombay-hc-acquitted-a-man-of-sexual-assault-under-the-pocso-act/7162806/
