Presumption of guilt doesn't make prosecution case 'gospel truth': SC
The Indian Supreme Court has ruled that the presumption of guilt in the Pocso Act does not make prosecution claims 'gospel truth.' The court emphasized that trial courts must still rigorously analyze evidence rather than relying solely on statutory presumptions.
Why it matters
This ruling sets a legal precedent that could impact the application of reverse-burden provisions across nine major Indian penal laws.
NEW DELHI: In a judgment that will impact as many as nine penal laws, Supreme Court has ruled that the stringent provisions of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act providing for presumption of guilt of the accused must not persuade trial courts to believe the prosecution's case to be the "gospel truth".A bench of Justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and N V Anjaria gave this ruling while setting aside concurrent judgments of a Delhi court and Delhi HC convicting a man, whom a woman had falsely accused of sexually assaulting her minor daughter in a Kalkaji slum in south Delhi in 2015.
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