Supreme Court Directs YouTuber to Apologise for Disclosing POCSO Victim’s Identity

The Supreme Court has directed Kerala-based YouTuber Suraj Palakaran to tender an unconditional apology for revealing the identity of a child in a POCSO case and suggested he consider donating the earnings from the video.

A Division Bench noted that while the disclosure may have been inadvertent, it constituted a violation of Section 23 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012. Palakaran had earlier sought the quashing of proceedings. 

The Court allowed an apology but kept the criminal case under the Act active and refused to dispose of the matter without hearing the State.

[Suraj v Sukumar @ Suraj Palakaran v State of Kerala]