NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court has granted interim protection from arrest to a man facing charges under Sections 7, 8, 9, and 10 of the POCSO Act, while seeking clarity on whether the complainant’s statement has been recorded in ongoing custody proceedings.The court directed the filing of a fresh affidavit regarding the status of the complainant’s statement before the concerned family court.The accused, reportedly a friend of the complainant’s mother, who has also been named a co-accused for allegedly forcing the complainant to ‘sleep with the accused’, approached the apex court after the Kerala High Court dismissed his anticipatory bail plea. He argued that the High Court passed the order without adequately considering key facts. Notably, the complainant’s mother has already been granted anticipatory bail.The FIR, filed in April 2025, pertains to incidents from 2021, raising concerns over a four-year delay. The petitioner contended that the complaint was driven by a motive for revenge by the complainant’s father, as the petitioner has been supporting the mother in a contentious matrimonial dispute with multiple cases before the family court.Earlier, the High Court had rejected similar allegations during a habeas corpus plea filed by the complainant’s father, terming the case a result of “severe matrimonial strife”.By granting interim relief, the Supreme Court has now paved the way for closer examination of what appears to be a custody battle potentially masked as a criminal case.The petitioner was represented by advocate Tarini K. Nayak, assisted by Aman Ahmad and Palak Kapoor.
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