Delhi High Court Denies Bail in POCSO Case Involving Father and Daughter

The Delhi High Court has denied bail to a man accused of sexually assaulting his eight-year-old daughter. Justice Subramonium Prasad emphasized that granting bail would undermine the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act's objective. The court dismissed claims of false allegations by the wife due to matrimonial issues.

The Delhi High Court has refused to grant bail to a man accused of sexually assaulting his eight-year-old daughter. Justice Subramonium Prasad, who dismissed the bail application, noted that the accused allegedly committed a heinous crime against his own child. Providing bail, he stressed, would subvert the POCSO Act's purpose of safeguarding children from sexual offenses.

Further rejecting the accused's assertion that his wife lodged a false complaint due to matrimonial discord, the judge remarked that a mother would unlikely subject her daughter to the trauma of investigation and legal proceedings just to retaliate against her husband. He underscored that sexual assault can inflict long-term psychological trauma on children, affecting their social development and potentially requiring psychological interventions.

The court also highlighted that the alleged actions qualified as aggravated penetrative sexual assault under the POCSO Act, carrying a minimum 20-year imprisonment or even the death penalty. 'Granting bail to the petitioner, at this stage, may defeat the legislative intent behind the POCSO Act,' the court concluded in its order, hence dismissing the petition.

(With inputs from agencies.)