Child Sexual Abuse Trials Laws, Procedures and Precedence

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Description
In the Light of Interpretation of POCSO Act 2012 as Amended in 2019
The General Assembly of the United Nations adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), way back in the year 1982. It requires states parties to undertake all appropriate national, bilateral and multilateral measures to prevent CSA. The gov- ernment of India, only in its 63rd year since declaring itself a republic took a serious step to admit the reality of CSA in India, and legislated a specific law to that effect. Laws are enacted to satisfy an electorate and children having no stake in the selection of governments, their interests remained ignored for almost 65 years since independence! The laws drafted well before the independence of the country like the IPC continued to offer some relief to the victims of CSA till then. The POCSO Act, 2012 was enacted only when it was found from the data collected by NCRB that there was a surge in the number of CSA cases.
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Table of Contents
Chapter 1. Enforceability of the POCSO Act
Chapter 2. Conviction for CSA under section 3/4 of the POCSO Act
Chapter 3. Conviction for CSA under section 5/6 of the POCSO Act
Chapter 4. Conviction for CSA under section 7/8 of the POCSO Act
Chapter 5. Conviction for CSA under section 9/10 of the POCSO Act
Chapter 6. Conviction for CSA under section 11/12 of the POCSO Act
Chapter 7. Child pornography
Chapter 8. Abetment of CSA
Chapter 9. Criminalising an "Attempt" in the context of CSA
Chapter 10. Mandatory reporting of CSA
Chapter 11. Errors and omissions during investigation of CSA
Chapter 12. Deposition of victim in CSA trial
Chapter 13. Medical and Forensic Evidence in CSA trial
Chapter 14. Jurisdiction to conduct CSA trial..
Chapter 15. Burden of proof (BOP) in CSA trials
Chapter 16. Application of CrPC to POSCO Trials
Chapter 17. Quality of legal services available in CSA trials.
Chapter 18. Identifying victims in CSA trial
Chapter 19. Compensation afforded to CSA victims
Chapter 20. The nature of evidence required to prove the DOB of Prosecutrix/victim
Chapter 21. When juvenile is accused of CSA
Chapter 22. The bail of accused charged/arrested for CSA
Chapter 23. Sentencing in CSA cases
Chapter 24. CSA of child with mental/physical ailments
Chapter 25. Judicial response to incest
Chapter 26. Pregnancy of CSA victims
Chapter 27. Custody of prosecutrix/victim during the CSA trial
Chapter 28. CSA at shelter homes
Chapter 29. Not invoking POCSO Act by police and courts
Chapter 30. Prosecution under the military justice system for CSA
Chapter 31. Applying Preventive Detention Law (PDL) to person accused of CSA
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Author Details
Geeta Oberoi is Professor at National Judicial Academy, Bhopal