Criminal Law - High Court Upholds Acquittal of Accused

Criminal Law - High Court Upholds Acquittal of Accused

*Criminal Law - POCSO Act, 2012 - Proof of Age of Victim - Documents* - The hierarchy of documents which should be preferred while deciding the age of minor, i.e. date of birth certificate from school/matriculation or equivalent certificate, if available, and in absence of it, birth certificate issued by a corporation or a municipal authority or panchayat and lastly, medical evidence on the basis of ossification test" - In this case "there is only Transfer Certificate and it is made the basis of taking entries in the school extract. Consequently, there is no conclusive proof on behalf of prosecution on the point of age of victim" - Accused held entitled to acquittal for offences under POCSO Act, 2012. - *XYZ v. Ashish Madhukar Suryawanshi [2026] GCtR 273 (Aurangabad, Bombay)*