For Assam Crackdown On Child Marriages, Tough Questions By High Court
NDTV
Granting pre-arrest bail to nine people charged under the POCSO Act, the Gauhati High Court observed that these are not instances which require custodial interrogation.
Assam's massive crackdown on child marriages has invited piercing questions from the Gauhati High Court, which has red-flagged the inclusion of charges under the tough law to protect children from sexual crimes.
More than 3,000 people allegedly linked with child marriages have been taken into custody so far across Assam, and lodged in temporary jails, sparking protests by women who decried the arrest of sole breadwinners of their families.
The police action has been questioned because it has scoped out cases dating back years, and experts have also doubted the legality of applying the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences or POCSO Act in child marriage cases.
Granting pre-arrest bail to nine people charged under the POCSO Act, with a minimum sentence of 20 years in one of the cases, the Gauhati High Court on Tuesday observed that these are not instances which require custodial interrogation.
