Attorney General of India KK Venugopal on Tuesday told the Supreme Court that as many as 43,000 offenses registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses (POCSO) Act in the last year.
The court was hearing petitions filed by the Attorney General, State of Maharashtra and the National Commission for Women (NCW) against the January 19 judgement passed by the High Court, which held that pressing the breast of a 12-year-old child without removing her top will not fall within the definition of ‘sexual assault’.
AG KK Venugopal said, “The judge said skin to skin contact is required. This would mean someone can wear a surgical glove and exploit a child and get away scot-free. The accused tried to bring down the salwar and even then bail was granted. This would be a precedent for magistrates in Maharashtra. Better appreciation would be needed for the definition of sexual assault. There are 43,000 POCSO offenses in the last year.”
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