WEST BENGAL POLICE ADD INSTAGRAM AS CO-ACCUSED IN POCSO CASE

The West Bengal police have implicated Meta-owned Instagram as a co-accused in a case related to the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. The move comes amidst mounting concerns over the proliferation of indecent content involving children and Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) on the social media platform.

According to reports, the cyber police station of Dakshin Dinajpur district filed a First Information Report (FIR) on April 11, citing Instagram for allegedly facilitating the dissemination of objectionable content pertaining to minors. The FIR invokes Section 12 of the POCSO Act, which deals with the punishment for offences related to child sexual harassment, along with Section 67 (B) of the Information Technology (IT) Act of 2000.

The complaint leading to the FIR was lodged by the victim under the guidance of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights, as confirmed by the agency's chairperson, Priyank Kanoongo. Notably, Section 12 of the POCSO Act mandates stringent penalties, including imprisonment of up to three years and fines for the perpetrator. Moreover, this offence is categorized as non-bailable under the precedents set by various high courts across the country.

Under Section 67 (B) of the IT Act, the dissemination of sexually explicit material involving children through electronic means carries severe penalties. Offenders may face imprisonment for up to five years and fines up to ₹10 lakh for first-time violations, with penalties escalating to seven years imprisonment and similar fines for subsequent offences.

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2024-05-03T10:41:35Z dg43tfdfdgfd