Suraj Singh @ Laala vs. State NCT of Delhi
Background
In April 2020, a six-year-old girl told her parents that a neighbour she called "Laala Chacha" had kissed her on the lips and touched her inappropriately while she was playing outside. Her parents called the police. A trial court convicted him under Section 354 IPC and Section 10 of the POCSO Act (aggravated sexual assault, due to his position of trust in the neighbourhood), sentencing him to five years' rigorous imprisonment, while acquitting him of a separate kidnapping charge. He appealed, arguing the child's account was inconsistent and unsupported by independent witnesses or forensic evidence.
Decision Breakdown
The High Court upheld the conviction. It held that a child witness's testimony alone can support a conviction if it is credible, coherent, and not shown to be tutored: corroboration is a safeguard, not a strict legal requirement. The child consistently described being kissed and touched inappropriately, and her account was supported by her parents' testimony about her immediate disclosure; minor inconsistencies were not treated as material given her age. The Court also clarified that kissing a minor with sexual intent independently fell within Section 7 POCSO's broad definition of sexual assault, and the neighbour relationship triggered the "aggravated" category under Section 10.
Lesson Learnt
Courts can and do convict based solely on a child victim's testimony when it is consistent and credible; prompt disclosure by a child and immediate reporting to police strengthens a case even without CCTV, independent witnesses, or medical proof of penetration.