Supreme Court of India
Date of Judgment:- 25-07-2025
SATAURAM MANDAVI Vs THE STATE OF CHHATTISGARH & ANR.
Title :- SC Modifies Life Sentence Under POCSO for Pre-Amendment Offence Citing Article 20(1)
The Supreme Court upheld the appellant’s conviction under Section 6 of the POCSO Act for raping a five-year-old girl. However, it modified the sentence from life imprisonment for the remainder of natural life to conventional life imprisonment. The Court held that applying the enhanced punishment under the 2019 POCSO Amendment retrospectively violated Article 20(1) of the Constitution. The offence occurred before the amendment took effect. The appeal was partly allowed on the question of sentence.