Tue Mar 25 22:36:01 UTC 2025: **Supreme Court Takes Suo Motu Cognizance of Allahabad High Court Ruling on Child Sexual Assault**
NEW DELHI, March 26, 2025 – The Supreme Court of India has taken suo motu cognizance of an Allahabad High Court order that deemed the acts of grabbing a minor’s breasts and attempting to remove her clothing insufficient grounds for a rape charge. The High Court, in a March 17th ruling, downgraded the charges against two accused individuals from rape under Section 376 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) to a lesser charge of assault under Section 354(b) IPC and aggravated sexual assault on a child under Section 9 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
The High Court’s decision stemmed from a case where an 11-year-old girl was allegedly assaulted. While the prosecution argued the accused’s actions constituted attempted rape, Justice Ram Manohar Narayan Mishra of the Allahabad High Court disagreed, stating the evidence did not support the more serious charges. The Supreme Court’s intervention follows a previous refusal by another bench to hear a writ petition on the same matter. The case is now listed before a bench headed by Justice B.R. Gavai for hearing on March 26th. The ruling has drawn strong criticism, with Union Minister Annpurna Devi and Delhi Commission for Women chief Swati Maliwal expressing their outrage.
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