Bengaluru: Keeping in mind the future of the child and the mother and to avoid disgrace from society, the High Court, which had allowed the lovers to unite, ordered the cancellation of the rape and POCSO case against the young man. A single-member bench of Justice M Nagaprasanna quashed and disposed of the pending POCSO case against 23-year-old Manjunath of Varuna Hobli, Mysuru.
Also, the registrar should take the necessary steps to release Manjunath from jail. At the same time, the bench clarified that the case against Manjunath will be reopened if the child and the mother are pushed into a crisis again after the petition has been settled.
Besides, the child was born because the petitioner had raped the minor before the marriage. The child does not know what happened. If the case is settled and the petitioner is not released, the life of the child and the mother will be in crisis.
The court had already granted interim bail for the petitioner to get married to the victim and the marriage was over and the petitioner returned to jail. If the legal process is not cancelled now, the lives of the child and the mother will be in jeopardy and they will face disrepute in society. In its order, the bench said that the case is being quashed to avoid discrediting society.
Background of the case: Petitioner Manjunath and the victim were students of the same school and both were in love with each other. On February 15, 2023, the victim's mother lodged a complaint at the Udayagiri Police Station in Mysuru that the girl was taken to a deserted area and raped repeatedly. Based on the complaint, the police registered an FIR against Manjunath under the POCSO Act and IPC Acts. After that, Manjunath was arrested.
