In Brief
A man accused of abducting a 12-year-old girl under the POCSO Act challenged his bail refusal. The Allahabad High Court granted bail and ordered mandatory medical age-determination tests for all POCSO cases. The Supreme Court reversed the High Court's directions, holding that bail courts cannot issue broad investigative mandates or conduct detailed age inquiries. Age determination is strictly a trial function under the Juvenile Justice Act's hierarchy: documentary proof (school/birth certificates) takes precedence, with medical tests only when documents are unavailable. Bail courts may take only a prima facie view of age from available documents, not conclusively adjudicate correctness. Mandatory medical testing in every POCSO case is improper. The bail grant itself was undisturbed.
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