Calcutta High Court Upholds Life Sentence in POCSO Case Involving Minor Who Conceived After Love Affair

The Calcutta High Court upheld the life imprisonment of a man convicted of repeatedly sexually assaulting a minor aged between 12 and 14 years.

The Court held that a child cannot consent to sexual relations, even in a claimed love relationship, and that the victim’s affection cannot dilute statutory protection under the POCSO Act.

It relied on the victim’s consistent testimony, medical evidence, and a DNA report indicating the accused could not be excluded as the child’s biological father.

The Court also observed that the delay in lodging the FIR was justified as the minor stayed silent due to emotional dependence.

[Santosh Srivastava @ Manu Srivastava v. State of West Bengal & Anr.]