Lack of clarity, evidence: HC acquits man convicted of sexual assault on minor girl

THE Delhi High Court has overturned the conviction of a man serving life imprisonment for alleged rape and sexual assault of a 14-year-old girl under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and the IPC.

- SHEKHAR SINGH

A bench comprising Justices Prathiba M Singh and Amit Sharma observed that the survivor's statement lacked clarity and sufficient evidence to substantiate claims of penetrative sexual assault.

The bench highlighted that while the survivor used terms like "physical relations," these phrases were too vague to establish the occurrence of penetrative sexual assault under Section 3 of the POCSO Act or Section 376 of the IPC.