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Allahabad HC overturns a 20-year conviction under POCSO Act after finding material contradictions in prosecution evidence, unexplained FIR delay, and a corroborated alibi backed by contemporaneous medical records. The ruling reaffirms the primacy of the benefit of doubt in child sexual offence trials.
The Bombay High Court upheld a POCSO conviction where a child witness’s testimony was partially tutored, ruling that medical and DNA evidence provided sufficient corroboration to overcome evidentiary weaknesses, including delayed FIR and investigation. This reinforces that corroboration, not perfect testimony, is the linchpin in POCSO cases - empowering prosecutors to rely on forensic trails when child accounts are compromised.
Allahabad HC affirms that child witness testimony, when corroborated by forensic and medical evidence, remains credible despite minor inconsistencies or hostile witnesses. The ruling reinforces that courts may uphold convictions under Section 302 IPC based on such evidence, even in complex murder cases involving multiple victims.
The Himachal Pradesh High Court ruled that a child witness's admission of tutoring, combined with inconclusive medical evidence and a broken chain of custody, renders the prosecution's case unsustainable. The acquittal was upheld, reinforcing that uncorroborated tutored testimony cannot establish guilt under Section 377 IPC, impacting future child witness reliability standards in criminal trials.
In a murder conviction upheld on a child witness’s testimony, the Calcutta High Court ruled that voluntariness and corroboration of a child’s account prevail over doubts about familial association or visibility conditions. The judgment reinforces that child witnesses can be reliable if their statements meet legal tests under Section 164 CrPC, impacting criminal trials relying on minor testimonies.