Karnataka HC quashes POCSO case against a man after marriage to victim
Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court has quashed criminal proceedings against a 23-year-old man from Mysuru, who had allegedly sexually assaulted a 18-year-old when she was a minor, following their marriage and production of their marriage certificate.
Justice M Nagaprasanna emphasised that the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) case could be revived if the accused abandons the girl and their child after the case's closure.
The court had earlier granted interim bail to the accused to facilitate the marriage with the victim (after she attained the age of 18), requiring him to return to jail with the marriage certificate. The accused complied with it.
The court has ruled that continuing the proceedings would negatively impact the mother and child, leading to societal stigma.
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The incident occurred on February 2, 2023, when the accused took the school-going girl to an isolated location and allegedly sexually assaulted her.
The girl subsequently gave birth to their child. Both parties' -- accused and the victim -- through their legal representatives submitted that they were in love, but faced parental opposition.
They had sought closure of the proceedings, considering the accused's wish to marry the victim.
The court's decision was also influenced by a DNA report confirming the biological parentage of the child.
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Middle East latest: Ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon begins
Jerusalem (AP): A ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon's Hezbollah began early Wednesday morning, after Beirut residents endured the most intense day of Israeli strikes since the war began.
Many wondered if the agreement to stop fighting would hold. Israel has said it will attack if Hezbollah breaks the ceasefire agreement, which was announced Tuesday.
At least 42 people were killed by Israeli strikes across Lebanon on Tuesday, according to local authorities.
Hezbollah also fired rockets into Israel on Tuesday, triggering air raid sirens in the country's north.
The Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire marks the first major step toward ending the regionwide unrest triggered by Hamas' attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. But it does not address the devastating war in Gaza.
Hezbollah began attacking Israel a day after Hamas' attack. The fighting in Lebanon escalated into all-out war in September with massive Israeli airstrikes across the country and an Israeli ground invasion of the south.
In Gaza, more than 44,000 people have been killed and more than 1,04,000 wounded in the nearly 14-month war between Israel and Hamas, according to Gaza's Health Ministry.
