Tanvi Rajput vs. State (NCT of Delhi) and Anr.
Background
A 2021 FIR had been registered against the petitioner under IPC provisions and Section 4 of the POCSO Act. Years later, the petitioner had since married and had a young child, and the parties executed a settlement deed resolving all disputes without any payment changing hands.
Decision Breakdown
The complainant personally confirmed to the Court that the dispute was settled and that he did not wish to pursue the matter further, given the settlement and the petitioner's changed family circumstances. Relying on the Supreme Court's Gian Singh precedent on quashing non-compoundable offences upon genuine settlement where no larger public interest is harmed, the Court quashed the FIR and all consequential proceedings.
Lesson Learnt
Even where a serious statutory charge like one under the POCSO Act is involved, courts retain discretion to quash proceedings on a genuine, voluntary settlement: this is decided case-by-case, not as a blanket rule.