NationalSaturday, 12 September 2026·Hindu Tamil Thisai
Supreme Court clarifies POCSO: physical contact is punishable only when sexual intent is proved
The Supreme Court held that under POCSO, physical contact with a child becomes sexual assault only if sexual intent is established.
Key highlights
Direct fact
In September 2026, a Supreme Court bench of Justices Ujjal Bhuyan and Atul S. Chandurkar set aside proceedings against West Bengal teacher Bhaskar Pal, holding that under the POCSO Act, 2012, physical contact with a child is punishable as sexual assault only when sexual intent is proved.
Key specifics
- The case involved Bhaskar Pal, a geography teacher from Alipurduar in West Bengal.
- The complaint alleged touching of students’ backs, waist and neck, leading to a POCSO Section 10 case.
- Justices Ujjal Bhuyan and Atul S. Chandurkar delivered the verdict.
- The Supreme Court said the teacher’s conduct showed corporal punishment, not sexual intent.
- The Court quashed both the Calcutta High Court order and the special court proceedings in Alipurduar.
Exam lens
TNPSC law-and-judiciary question type: POCSO interpretation, bench names, and section reference; remember POCSO Act, 2012, Section 10, Alipurduar, and the judges Ujjal Bhuyan and Atul S. Chandurkar. Likely one-liner: “What did the Supreme Court say about sexual intent under POCSO?”