Daijiworld Media Network – Panaji

Panaji, Jul 1: A Special POCSO Court in Panaji has sentenced a Bihar native to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment after convicting him of sexually assaulting a minor girl, while reiterating that a minor's consent has no legal validity in cases involving sexual offences.

The convicted accused, identified as Mohammed Jhunnu, was found guilty under the provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

While delivering the judgment, the court observed that any sexual act involving a person below the age of 18 amounts to statutory rape under the POCSO Act, irrespective of whether the minor is alleged to have consented.

The court emphasised that a child's consent cannot be accepted as a legal defence in offences involving minors and reaffirmed the legal protections guaranteed under the POCSO Act.
Following the conviction, the court sentenced Jhunnu to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment.

Further details regarding the circumstances of the offence and the investigation were not immediately available.