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

Tribune News Service

Updated At : 11:22 AM Aug 25, 2021 IST

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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

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