Quashing criminal proceedings under the POCSO Act, the Allahabad High Court has observed that forcing a happily-married couple to face trial merely to record a hostile testimony would be an "irony of fate" and an "instrument of harassment".
Supreme Court flags misuse of POCSO Act to penalise adolescent relationships, mulls directions to raise awareness
In the instant case, the accused man had married the alleged victim and the latter had also favoured the quashing of the FIR and denied the allegations levelled by her father while lodging the report.
Justice Kshitij Shailendra allowed the plea of Ashwani Anand, observing that the court cannot remain a "silent spectator" or "mere bystander" when the ends of justice demand immediate intervention.
POCSO Act’s aim cannot be ignored merely because abusers marry minor victims to escape conviction: Supreme Court
