Allegation Of Rape Based On False Promise To Marry And Repeated Postponement Of Marriage - Can't Ground For Rape, Himachal Pradesh High Court

The Madras High Court has acquitted a POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) accused due to unproven age, meaning the prosecution failed to conclusively establish that the victim was a minor at the time of the alleged offense. However, while dropping the charges under the stringent POCSO Act, the court maintained the convictions of the accused under general penal provisions of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for other related offenses. This ruling underscores the importance of conclusive evidence regarding the victim's age in POCSO cases but ensures that offenders are still held accountable for other proved criminal acts.