Declaring that the offence of penetrative sexual assault can be alleged even against a woman under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012, as this law is gender-neutral, the High Court of Karnataka on Monday refused to quash a criminal case against a 52-year-old woman, who allegedly compelled a 13-year-old boy for sex with her at her residence here during 2020.
The two instances of sexual assaults had allegedly taken place between May and June, 2020, when the accused woman Archana, an artist aged around 48 and the boy who was around 13 years and 10 months old then.
The accused, who was the boy’s neighbour, had come in contact with him through his mother, who initially sent him to the house of the accused to help her post her paintings on her Instagram account following the request made by the accused.
To a therapist
The boy, who was psychologically distressed, had immediately not disclosed the alleged acts to his parents, who later decided to settle down in Dubai and shifted there in August, 2020, along with him and his younger sister.
