Although POCSO Introduced To Protect Girl Child, Legal Awareness Needed To Simultaneously Protect Young Boys From Label Of 'Offender': Gujarat HC [Read Order]

The Gujarat High Court on Monday expressed concern that "young boys who themselves are not major, many a times without realizing the consequences of their act, or "many a times actuated by frenzy of youth", "eventually label themselves as offenders in the matters of POCSO".

The bench of Justice Sonia Gokani and Justice N. V. Anjaria was dealing with a habeas corpus petition by the father of a minor girl who had eloped with a boy who was himself a minor.

Noticing that "the respondent no.5 is himself a minor and is yet to be found", the bench lamented, "We are also at pain to learn that though he himself is a minor, he has chosen to take away the corpus who is a minor, lending himself in the net of the law, particularly of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO Act)".

While the Court appreciated that "This Act is brought on the statute book with laudable objectives, with a view to protect the girl child in the society, with more and more offences affecting the girl children", it expressed that "right kind of understanding needs to be given, in the form of legal awareness amongst the children and the college students so that the society can simultaneously protect very young minor boys, who due to their lack of understanding of law, turn into the offenders in serious matters".

The bench said that it has been noticed in several Habeas Corpus petitions that "young boys who themselves are not major", owing to their "careless approach towards stringent laws", are rounded up to "face serious consequences of rigorous punishment prescribed under the law".

Accordingly, the bench directed the concerned Superintendent of Police, to take up this issue with the Anti Human Trafficking cell and the District Legal Services Authority for creating awareness amongst the youngsters.

R/SCR.A/765/2020 VIKRAMSINH CHAMPAKSINH PARMAR Versus STATE OF GUJARAT

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