Supreme Court verdict: Viewing, storing child sexual exploitative is an offence under POCSO

A three-judge Bench headed by Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud’s verdict on child pornography an appeal filled a NGO.

Storing and viewing child pornography is an offensive act which falls under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POSCO) and the Information Technology Act, the Supreme Court said.

The verdict said, “It continues through its recording, and perpetuates as photographs and videos that float through cyberspace, freely accessible to anyone who has the ability to surf the Internet… The knowledge that their abuse is being watched by countless strangers, sometimes years after the actual event, exacerbates the psychological wounds on top of the trauma that was already induced by the act in the first place. This perpetuating violation deprives the victim of any remaining hope or chance to heal, recover from the abuse and find closure.”

The Supreme Court also urged the Parliament to replace ‘child pornography’ with the term Child Sexual Exploitative and Abuse Material (CSEAM) in their judgments and judicial orders.