Karnataka High Court Reduces Life Sentence in POCSO Case to 10 Years

The Karnataka High Court reduced the sentence of a 27-year-old accused in a POCSO Act case from life imprisonment to 10 years. The court emphasized the need for valid reasons when imposing the maximum penalty. The man's fine was also increased from Rs 5,000 to Rs 25,000.

In a significant ruling, the Karnataka High Court has reduced the life imprisonment sentence of a 27-year-old accused in a POCSO Act case to 10 years, highlighting the necessity for valid justifications when imposing severe penalties.

The accused, from Chikkamagaluru, had earlier been sentenced to life imprisonment and fined Rs 5,000 by a special court. The division bench of Justices Sreenivas Harish Kumar and C M Joshi partially allowed his appeal, increasing the fine to Rs 25,000.

The case originated in June 2016 when the accused befriended and repeatedly sexually assaulted a minor girl. Her pregnancy, discovered by her mother in December 2016, led to a DNA test confirming the accused as the father. The lower court's life sentence was contested on the grounds of insufficient proof of the girl's age. However, the High Court found that the special court had neglected to provide adequate reasons for the maximum sentence, thereby modifying it to 10 years.

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