In Brief
The Attorney General of India brought before the Supreme Court a High Court judgment acquitting an accused under Section 8 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012 solely on the ground that there was no direct physical (skin-to-skin) contact. The Supreme Court found this reasoning potentially erroneous and likely to create a dangerous precedent. The Court permitted the Attorney General to file an appropriate petition against the High Court's judgment and stayed the acquittal pending further proceedings, signaling that absence of direct physical contact does not necessarily negate an offence under the POCSO Act.
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