Karnataka HC quashes POCSO case against boy who eloped with girlfriend
Bengaluru (PTI): The Karnataka High Court has allowed a compromise settlement between families of two minors who had engaged in a sexual act leading to the boy being charged under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
Justice M Nagaprasanna quashed the proceedings pending in a lower court against the boy who was a minor when the complaint was filed in December 2021.
The boy and girl, who were classmates, had eloped. After the complaint, they were found together in another district. The boy was charged for rape under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and under Section 5 of the POCSO Act.
While the case is pending in the lower court, the High Court was recently approached for quashing the case. The families of the two youngsters had arrived at a settlement and did not want to pursue the case. The HC noted that in this eventuality the boy would be acquitted eventually.
"I deem it appropriate to take note of the settlement, accept it and free the petitioner from the mesh of crime he is enmeshed in, failing which, the future of a student would be put in insurmountable jeopardy," the court said.
The HC found that the two minors had indulged in sexual acts but it would not amount to a crime as envisioned under POCSO Act.
"A romantic love between a boy and a girl of the age of adolescence, sometimes arising out of infatuations, results in the boy embroiling himself into the vortex of the provisions of POCSO Act. It is in these peculiar facts, I deem it appropriate to take note of the settlement."
While the lower court proceedings were quashed, the HC pointed out that youngsters are not aware of POCSO.
"The act has been done in the frenzy of youth, owing to human curiosity coupled with biological cravings. These are acts which are entirely different from those which become offences under Section 5, which deals with aggravated penetrative sexual assault. These provisions are not known to students, who are themselves, minors and get infatuated," it said.
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Bihar: Over 150 children fall ill after consuming 'mid-day meal' in Saharsa
Saharsa (PTI): More than 150 children were taken ill after allegedly consuming food that was part of the mid-day meal in a school in Bihar’s Saharsa district, a senior official said on Thursday.
The incident occurred at a middle school in Baluaha village of the district.
The official said that 115 children were undergoing treatment at the Sadar Hospital, while around 50 students were admitted to Mahishi Public Health Centre.
“We received information that several children fell ill after consuming the mid-day meal in Baluaha. The children were initially treated at the primary health centre, but later, many were referred to the Sadar Hospital,” Saharsa District Magistrate Deepesh Kumar told reporters.
“According to doctors, the health condition of the children has improved, but they will be kept under observation for some time. There is no need to panic. Some kids are having mild fever. They are being treated accordingly,” Kumar said.
Meanwhile, family members of some children claimed that a snake was found in the container in which cooked pulses was stored at the school.
Of the 545 students present in the school, 200 had already eaten their meals by the time the snake was spotted, and later complained of stomach ache and vomiting, they said.
Regarding the claims, the DM said food samples have been collected from the school.
“We will be able to comment on this only after the results of the tested samples arrive,” he said.
