The Delhi High Court, under the leadership of Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Saurabh Banerjee, has taken suo motu cognizance of a distressing incident involving the alleged sexual assault of a three-year-old girl by a school cleaner in South Delhi.
In an order issued on August 8, the High Court registered a suo motu Public Interest Litigation (PIL) based on the news report. The Court directed the concerned authorities, including the Delhi Police and the Education Department, to furnish a comprehensive status report within a span of two weeks. Notably, the Court emphasized the need to protect the privacy and identity of the minor victim and her parents. It further ordered that their names be masked in the submitted report.
Justice Subramonium Prasad played a pivotal role in bringing the matter to the Court's attention, leading to the initiation of the suo motu action. The Court entrusted Mr. Santosh Tripathi with the task of filing the status report, with the explicit directive to ensure the anonymity and privacy of the minor child. Additionally, the Court urged Mr. Tripathi to ensure media compliance with the provisions stipulated in Section 23 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO Act), 2012, to safeguard the rights of the victim.
The accused in the case, identified as Arjun Kumar, was apprehended by the Delhi Police. He faces charges under Section 376 (punishment for rape), Section 377 (unnatural offences) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), and Section 6 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act.
Source: Link
Picture Source :