NEW DELHI, 8 Feb: Any act of sexual assault or harassment to children should be viewed very seriously as their exploitation is a crime against humanity and society and a message must be conveyed by awarding suitable punishment to the accused, the Supreme Court said on Tuesday.
A bench of Justices MR Shah and BV Nagarathna made the observations while upholding an order of the Uttarakhand High Court convicting a man for offences punishable under Sections 376 (2) (i) of the Indian Penal Code and Section 5 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and imposing the punishment under Section 6 of the POCSO Act for sexual assault of a four-year-old girl.
“Any act of sexual assault or sexual harassment to the children should be viewed very seriously and all such offences of sexual assault, sexual harassment on the children have to be dealt with in a stringent manner and no leniency should be shown to a person who has committed the offence under the POCSO Act,” the bench said.
The top court noted that the man, who was a neighbour of the victim, was aged approximately 65 years of age at the time of the commission of the offence. (PTI)
