New charge under POCSO Act can be added during criminal trial: Karnataka HC
Bengaluru, Jun 13: The High Court of Karnataka has held that a new charge under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act can be added to a criminal trial by the order of a Sessions Court judge.
A man, facing charges under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for offences of procuration of a minor girl, criminal intimidation and criminal conspiracy, had challenged the II Additional District and Sessions Judge, Kolar, allowing the additional charge under Section 7 of the POCSO Act before the High Court.
The High Court dismissed his petition saying no fault can be found with the order of the concerned court .
The prosecution had sought the alteration of charge for addition of offence under POCSO, under Section 216 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), which is proper, the High Court said.
Section 7 of POCSO Act deals with the acts of touching specific sexual parts of minors with sexual intent. It also deals with any other act' done with sexual intent which involves physical contact but without penetration.
During the trial, the victim had testified that the accused had touched inappropriate places of her body leading the prosecution to seek adding the charge under POCSO Act.
The victim was going to school on December 1, 2016 when the accused on a bike offered to drop her at school. But, along with two other accused, he kidnapped her to get her married to the fourth accused.
The girl escaped from their custody and a complaint was filed with the police. The accused, along with others, were charged under the IPC.
During the trial, based on the statements made by the girl, the prosecution sought the alteration of the charge and inclusion of offence punishable under POCSO Act as well. The Sessions Judge allowed the addition on December 12, 2021.
The petition challenging the Sessions Judge order was recently dismissed by the Single Judge Bench of the High Court Justice M Nagaprasanna.
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South zone finalists announced at WAVES VFX challenge in Bengaluru
Bengaluru: The South Zone round of the WAVES VFX Challenge took place today in Bengaluru, organized by the Association of Bangalore Animation Industry (ABAI).
The day-long competition brought together talented participants from across southern India, with the goal of selecting top finalists who will go on to represent the region at the national finals next month during the WAVES Summit in Mumbai.
Finalists were selected in three categories:
Student Category
Winner: Soumya Das
Runner-up: Gagan HP
Professional Category
Winner: Mohamad Javeed
Runner-up: S Sai Chandan
Enthusiasts Category
Winner: Gagan Ajai
Over 1,500 entries were received from students, working professionals, and VFX enthusiasts, all centered around the theme “Super Hero Power.” Out of these, 14 entries were shortlisted to compete in today’s final round. One winner and one runner-up from each category were chosen to represent the South Zone in Mumbai.
ABAI Secretary R.K. Chand appreciated the strong participation and encouraged industry professionals to attend the Mumbai summit, which will host well-known personalities from films, advertising, and creative sectors. He also mentioned that the WAVES Challenge was recently launched in Bengaluru by Sanjay Jaju, Secretary, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
The event was inaugurated by Dr. Sagar Gulati, Director of the School of Creative Design and Information Technology at Jain (Deemed-to-be University), the zonal partner for the competition.
The day also featured two special sessions led by industry experts. Vijay Selvam from the global VFX studio MPC held a masterclass titled “Concept Reality,” where he discussed lighting, animation, compositing, and photorealistic effects. Students got the chance to interact with him during a Q&A session.
Another session was conducted by Rakesh H, Lead Head at The Mill, who spoke about how visual effects are used in advertising. Nearly 100 students attended these sessions, gaining valuable industry insights and learning opportunities.
