Supreme Court dismisses POCSO case against West Bengal teacher for corporal punishment

In a September 8 order, the Supreme Court set aside a POCSO case against a geography teacher in Alipurduar, West Bengal, concluding that his corporal punishment of two Class 10 students did not involve the sexual intent needed for an offence under Section 10 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act. The bench, comprising Justices Ujjal Bhuyan and Atul S Chandurkar, noted that the teacher had hit the girls on their upper backs and waist and slapped them for not carrying maps, actions that were insensitive but not sexual.

The allegations emerged after female staff reported complaints on June 24, 2025, leading to an FIR on July 23, 2025. Statements recorded under the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita failed to establish sexual intent. The court deemed further prosecution an abuse of process, overturning the Calcutta High Court’s April 27 order and cancelling the pending trial at the special court in Alipurduar.