Explained: What Is POCSO? Act Under Which Karnataka Former CM BS Yediyurappa Is Booked

Former Chief Minister of Karnataka, BS Yediyurappa was booked under the POCSO on Thursday, according to the reports, after the mother of a minor alleged that the 91-year-old misbehaved and sexually assaulted her daughter. The complaint was lodged at Sadashivanagar police station under IPC section 354 A (assaults or uses criminal force to any woman) and under section 8 (sexual assault) of POCSO.

What Is POCSO?

The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences, commonly known as POCSO, is a special act, under which, fast-track criminal proceedings take place against those who are being accused of sexual offenses against minors. This law demands stringent punishment including life imprisonment and death penalty for criminals. The Government of India introduced the POCSO Act to safeguard children from sexual assault, harassment, and pornography.

The POCSO Act also advocates hiding the identity of victims, child-friendly mechanisms for proceedings, and reporting during and after the trial.

The bill was introduced in May 2012 by the Ministry of Women and Child Development to protect dignity and stop sexual crimes against children below the age of 18. Notably, the bill was passed by Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha unanimously, cutting the political party lines and differences.

The protection bill was amended in 2019, tabled by then Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani, which included a claw to curb child pornography and take strong actions against people held guilty for doing and recording sexual crimes.

Sharing the data, in 2019, Smriti Irani informed the house about 620,000 sexual offenders, who were listed by investigative agencies for committing crimes against juveniles.

The Act also directs police officials to take up such cases on priority and carefully. The investigating officer has to inform the Child Welfare Committee about every case under the Act within 24 hours of filing the case as a "child in need of care and protection" needs special attention at that time.

A toll-free number 1098 has also been set up by the government, where children and their guardians can seek help and report the case.