Reverse Bombay High Court ‘skin contact’ verdict in POCSO case: Attorney General to Superme Court

New Delhi, August 24

Terming as “outrageous” the Bombay High Court’s ruling that sexual assault offences under the POCSO Act weren’t made out if there was no direct “skin-to-skin” contact between the offender and the child, Attorney General KK Venugopal on Tuesday urged the SC to reverse it.

“If tomorrow a person wears a pair of surgical gloves and feels the body of a woman, he won’t be punished for sexual assault as per this judgment. To say that skin-to-skin contact is required (to attract POCSO Act) will mean an accused wearing gloves getting an acquittal. The judge clearly didn’t see the far-reaching consequences,” Venugopal told a Bench led by Justice UU Lalit. — TNS