Chatting with minors does not fall under POCSO Act: High Court

KOCHI: The Kerala High Court has made a significant ruling stating that sending non-sexual messages or chats to minors does not fall under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. Justice A. Badaruddin made the ruling by issuing an order quashing further proceedings in a case registered against a 24-year-old from Ernakulam for chatting and sending messages to a 17-year-old.

The court pointed out that the prosecution has not been able to produce any statement or documents to prove that the young man was constantly texting or that it was for sexual purposes. The court also held that texting and chatting cannot be considered as an offence under the POCSO and IPC sections. The petitioner was charged with sexual harassment and stalking.