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POCSO case: SC grants anticipatory bail to accused; issues notice to Kerala government

POCSO case: SC grants anticipatory bail to accused; issues notice to Kerala government

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court has issued notice and protected the petitioner-accused under multiple sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, while highlighting the need for consideration of the entire case on merits.
A two-judge bench of the top court, led by Justice Manoj Misra and Justice Ujjal Bhuyan passed the order.
Arguing before the bench, counsel for the petitioner, Advocates Tarini K. Nayak and C. Arvind, claimed that the case was a product of a long-standing enmity between the petitioner and the complainant's father. It was pointed to that a delay of over four years in lodging the First Information Report (FIR) is a significant factor which casts doubt over the credibility of the complaint, suggesting the possibility of tutoring of the complainant by her father.
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