🔗 Read and Download the Judgments Here:

• Chhattisgarh High Court Judgment – 28 Jan 2025 (CRA 1434/2022)
• Supreme Court Judgment – 10 Sept 2025 (SLP(Crl.) 10377/2025)

📌 Background of the Case

• Accused: Laxman Jangde (25 years old)
• Victim: 7-year-old Class 1 student
• The child often visited the neighbour’s house to watch cartoons, since her family didn’t own a TV.
• In March 2020, she returned home shaken and told her mother about his inappropriate behaviour.
• She resisted, bit his hand, and escaped home. An FIR was filed immediately.

🏛️ Trial Court & High Court (2022–2025)

• The Trial Court (July 2022) convicted him under Section 6, POCSO and sentenced him to 20 years imprisonment + ₹50,000 fine.
• The High Court of Chhattisgarh (28 Jan 2025) upheld this decision.
  • The defense argued there was no medical evidence.
  • But the court found the child’s testimony consistent and credible.
  • It ruled that a survivor’s trustworthy testimony alone can sustain conviction.
  • Appeal dismissed — sentence confirmed.

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⚖️ Supreme Court’s Order (10 Sept 2025)

• The Supreme Court modified the conviction:
  • Said there was no proof of penetration, so not rape under IPC §376AB or POCSO §6.
  • Reclassified as:
    • IPC §354 – outraging modesty (5 yrs)
    • POCSO §10 – aggravated sexual assault (7 yrs)
• Both sentences to run concurrently → effectively 7 years total.
• Fine of ₹50,000 retained, to be paid as victim compensation.

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💥 Why This Order Shocks Many

• The High Court stressed that a child of 7 had no motive to lie.
• Her testimony was immediate, spontaneous, and consistent.
• Supreme Court itself has often said: “Crimes against children are gruesome, with lifelong impact, and deserve no leniency.”
• Yet, in this case, the sentence was cut down to 7 years.

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📢 Conclusion

This case raises a burning question:
👉 Should child testimony alone be enough for maximum punishment under POCSO?
👉 Or should strict proof of “penetration” always decide the difference between 20 years and 7 years?

⚖️ What do you think — was this justice or injustice?

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