COURT ON ITS OWN MOTION vs STATE AND ORS.

Judgment text excerpt

$~ * IN THE HIGH COURT OF DELHI AT NEW DELHI % Judgment reserved on: 05.01.2026 Judgment pronounced on: 04.04.2026 Judgment uploaded on: 04.04.2026 + CRL.REV.P. 691/2024 COURT ON ITS OWN MOTION .....Petitioner Through: Ms. Aasha Tiwari, Advocate/ Amicus Curiae with Mr. Puneet Narula, Advocate. Versus STATE AND ORS. .....Respondents Through: Mrs. Anubha Bhardwaj, SPP for CBI along with Ms. Anchal Kashyap and Mr. Vijay Misra, Advocates. Mr. Nitin Chaudhary and Mr. Abhishek Singh, Advocates for R-2. CORAM: HON’BLE DR. JUSTICE SWARANA KANTA SHARMA JUDGMENT Index to the Judgment INTRODUCTION ................................................................................. 2 FACTUAL BACKGROUND .................................................................. 3 SUBMISSIONS BEFORE THE COURT ............................................. 6 ANALYSIS & FINDINGS ..................................................................... 8 CRL.REV.P. 691/2024 Page 1 of 22 Signature Not Verified Digitally Signed By:ZEENAT PRAVEEN Signing Date:04.04.2026 15:09:19 A. Section 15(2) of POCSO Act ..................................................................... 9 B. Meaning of ‘Child’ under POCSO Act .................................................. 11 C. Interpretation of ‘Child’ in the Context of Child Pornographic Material under the POCSO Act .................................................................... 13 D. Application of the Test of Subjective Satisfaction to the Material on Record ............................................................................................................... 18 E. The Decision ............................................................................................. 20 DR. SWARANA KANTA SHARMA, J INTRODUCTION 1. A Public Interest Litigation