POCSO Case Against School Headmistress Revived for Failing to Report Child Sexual Abuse; Conducting Personal Verification Is No Excuse: Supreme Court

The Supreme Court has restored criminal proceedings against a school headmistress accused of failing to report an alleged sexual assault complaint made by an eight-year-old child. The Court held that once a person covered under the reporting obligation receives credible information directly from a child victim, the duty to inform authorities under the Section 19 of the Prevention of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 (POCSO Act) immediately arises. A…