'She didn't see it as crime': SC refrains from sentencing Pocso convict married to survivor

THE Supreme Court on Friday refrained from sentencing a convict under the POCSO Act on the ground that he married the survivor of his sexual assault and remarked that the case highlighted the "lacunae in our legal system".

- Suchitra Kalyan Mohanty @ New Delhi

Its verdict said, "The society judged her, the legal system failed her, and her own family abandoned her. Now, she is at a stage where she is desperate to save her husband. She is emotionally committed to the accused and has become very possessive about her small family. The facts of the case are an eye-opener for everyone. It highlights the lacuna in our legal system." The survivor was 14 years old at the time of the offence in 2018.