'Skin-to-skin' contact not necessary for sexual assault under POCSO Act: SC
India TodayThe Supreme Court set aside a judgment of the Bombay High Court that held that "skin-to-skin" contact was necessary for the offence of sexual assault under the POCSO Act. A bench of Justices UU Lalit, S Ravindra Bhat and Bela Trivedi said restricting the meaning of "touch" to "skin-to-skin" contact would lead to "narrow and absurd interpretation" and destroy the intent of the Act, which was enacted to protect children from sexual offences. On January 27, the Supreme Court had stayed the order that had acquitted a man under the POCSO Act, saying "groping a minor's breast without 'skin to skin contact' cannot be termed as sexual assault". Justice Pushpa Ganediwala had said that since the man groped the child without removing her clothes, the offence cannot be termed as sexual assault but it does constitute the offence of outraging a woman's modesty under IPC section 354.