Supreme Court Declares Viewing and Downloading Child Pornography a Crime

The Supreme Court has ruled that watching and downloading child pornography are criminal offenses under the POCSO Act and IT law. It suggests renaming 'child pornography' to 'child sexually abusive and exploitative material' and reinstates criminal proceedings against a man previously acquitted of such charges by the Madras High Court.

In a pivotal ruling, the Supreme Court on Monday declared that the acts of watching and downloading child pornography are criminal offenses under both the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and the Information Technology (IT) Act.

The Supreme Court has suggested that Parliament consider amending the term 'child pornography' to 'child sexually abusive and exploitative material' in the relevant laws and recommended that lower courts avoid using the term 'child pornography' in legal proceedings.

Overturning a previous verdict from the Madras High Court, a bench led by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud stated that merely downloading and watching child pornography constitutes an offense. The bench also set guidelines for the legal consequences associated with child pornography, emphasizing its harmful impact on victimized children and the societal duty to report such crimes.

(With inputs from agencies.)