Madras High Court: Pulling minor's hand is POCSO sexual harassment
India
The Madras High Court just clarified that pulling a minor girl's hand after she ignored a whistle is considered sexual harassment, not assault, under the POCSO Act.
The court made this observation during an appeal by Mandai alias Manogaran, who was convicted for the incident back in March 2020.
Mandai alias Manogaran jailed 3 years
Manogaran whistled at a girl walking to her aunt's house, then came down and pulled her by the hand and smiled at her "with sexual intent."
Her mother reported it, and he was sentenced to three years of rigorous imprisonment plus a fine.
The court explained that his actions fit under "sexual harassment" (Section 11), not "sexual assault" (Section 8) of POCSO.
No application for suspension of sentence was filed, so he remains in jail.