Possession, Presumption, Punishment: Criminalising The Inchoate Under Section 15 Of POCSO In Just Rights For Children Alliance V. S. Harish (2024 INSC 716)
Dibyendu Mondal, Thakur Ramnarayan College of Law, Mumbai
Vedika Vijaypal Singh, Thakur Ramnarayan College of Law, Mumbai
ABSTRACT
This article analyses the Supreme Court's judgment in Just Rights for Children Alliance v. S. Harish (2024 INSC 716), which reversed the Madras High Court's decision quashing proceedings for possession of child sexual abuse material. It examines how the Court classified Section 15 of the POCSO Act as an inchoate offence, invoked the doctrine of constructive possession, and mandated the statutory presumption under Section 30. The article analyses that this purposive interpretation fortifies India's child protection framework against digital-era challenges.
Keywords: POCSO, Inchoate Offence, Constructive Possession, Child Sexual Abuse Material.
