{"id":381977,"date":"2026-04-23T09:00:06","date_gmt":"2026-04-23T03:30:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/?p=381977"},"modified":"2026-04-22T17:59:10","modified_gmt":"2026-04-22T12:29:10","slug":"unchallenged-oral-testimony-sufficient-to-prove-age-under-pocso-act-ker-hc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2026\/04\/23\/unchallenged-oral-testimony-sufficient-to-prove-age-under-pocso-act-ker-hc\/","title":{"rendered":"Unchallenged oral testimony of victim and her mother is sufficient to prove age; Kerala HC upholds POCSO conviction"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>\n.animate-charcter{background-image: linear-gradient(-225deg, #231557 0%, #44107a 29%, #ff1361 67%, #fff800 100%); background-size: 200% auto; -webkit-background-clip: text; -webkit-text-fill-color: transparent; animation: textclip 0s linear infinite;}\n@keyframes textclip {to {background-position: 200% center;}}\n<\/style>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify; line-height: 150%;\">\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 3%;\"><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">Kerala High Court:<\/span> While declining to interfere with the conviction under Section <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/DocumentLink.aspx?q=JTXT-0001550529\" target=\"_blank\">7<\/a> read with Section <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/DocumentLink.aspx?q=JTXT-0001550530\" target=\"_blank\">8<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/DocumentLink.aspx?q=JTXT-0002825996\" target=\"_blank\">Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012<\/a> (POCSO Act) and Section <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/DocumentLink.aspx?q=JTXT-0001561668\" target=\"_blank\">354<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/DocumentLink.aspx?q=JTXT-0002726960\" target=\"_blank\">Penal Code, 1860<\/a> (IPC), a Single Judge Bench of <span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">A. Badharudeen<\/span>, J., held that the prosecution had successfully established that the victim was a child and that the evidence on record proved sexual assault beyond reasonable doubt. The Court observed that the age of the victim can be proved through admissible oral evidence and where the oral testimony of the victim and her mother regarding age remains unchallenged, conviction under the POCSO Act is legally sustainable.<\/p>\n<p>The Court observed that,<\/p>\n<p class=\"animate-charcter\" style=\"margin-left: 36pt; margin-bottom: 3%; font-style: italic;\">&#8220;When the accused contends that the victim is not a child as defined in the POCSO Act, it is the prosecution&#8217;s duty to prove the victim&#8217;s age. When the child and her mother state the date of birth which substantially shows that the victim is below 18 years, and the accused does not dispute it by cross-examining them, their substantial evidence remains unchallenged.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 3%;\"><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">Also Read:<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2026\/01\/12\/bring-romeo-juliet-clause-in-pocso-act-to-exempt-genuine-relationships-sc\/\" target=\"_blank\">Bring Romeo-Juliet clause in POCSO Act to exempt genuine relationships: SC<\/a><\/p>\n<h3>Background<\/h3>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 3%;\">On 19 May 2014, when the victim was playing, the accused who was a security guard, allegedly took her inside the security cabin on the pretext of showing her a camera and sexually molested her. The victim ran home crying and told her mother that the accused had touched on her vagina and other body parts and on the same day, an FIR was filed. The next day, the mother went to the police station along with the victim and the victim was taken for medical examination.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 3%;\">Upon completion of trial, the Special Judge found that the accused guilty under Section <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/DocumentLink.aspx?q=JTXT-0001550529\" target=\"_blank\">7<\/a> read with Section <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/DocumentLink.aspx?q=JTXT-0001550530\" target=\"_blank\">8<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/DocumentLink.aspx?q=JTXT-0002825996\" target=\"_blank\">POCSO Act<\/a> and Section <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/DocumentLink.aspx?q=JTXT-0001561668\" target=\"_blank\">354<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/DocumentLink.aspx?q=JTXT-0002726960\" target=\"_blank\">IPC<\/a>, and sentenced the accused to 3 years&#8217; rigorous imprisonment and fine, with no separate sentence under Section <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/DocumentLink.aspx?q=JTXT-0001561668\" target=\"_blank\">354<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/DocumentLink.aspx?q=JTXT-0002726960\" target=\"_blank\">IPC<\/a> in view of Section <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/DocumentLink.aspx?q=JTXT-0001550522\" target=\"_blank\">42<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/DocumentLink.aspx?q=JTXT-0002825996\" target=\"_blank\">POCSO Act<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 3%;\">Aggrieved by the conviction, the accused filed an appeal contending that the prosecution had failed to establish the victim&#8217;s age by convincing evidence, and therefore, the Special Judge was wrong in finding that he had committed the offence under the POCSO Act. It was argued that except for the oral testimony of the victim and her mother, no other evidence was produced to establish minority. It was also submitted that even the place of occurrence was not proved. On the other hand, the prosecution opposed the appeal, contending that both the victim and her mother deposed that the victim was 8 years old on the date of occurrence and the same was sufficient to prove the age as it was never challenged during cross-examination.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 3%;\"><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">Also Read:<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2026\/03\/17\/del-hc-pocso-repeated-summoning-of-minor-victims-discouraged\/\" target=\"_blank\">Del HC discourages repeated summoning of minor victims<\/a><\/p>\n<h3>Points to be considered<\/h3>\n<ol style=\"list-style-type: decimal;\">\n<li>\n<p>What is the mode of proof of the age of a victim in POCSO Act cases recognised by law?<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>Whether the prosecution succeeded in proving the age of the victim below 18 years in the instant case?<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>Whether the Special Court was right in holding that the accused committed offence punishable under Section <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/DocumentLink.aspx?q=JTXT-0001550529\" target=\"_blank\">7<\/a> read with Section <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/DocumentLink.aspx?q=JTXT-0001550530\" target=\"_blank\">8<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/DocumentLink.aspx?q=JTXT-0002825996\" target=\"_blank\">POCSO Act<\/a>?<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 3%;\">Whether the Special Court was right in holding that the accused committed offence punishable under Section <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/DocumentLink.aspx?q=JTXT-0001561668\" target=\"_blank\">354<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/DocumentLink.aspx?q=JTXT-0002726960\" target=\"_blank\">IPC<\/a>?<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h3>Analysis<\/h3>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 3%;\">The Court referred to <span style=\"font-style: italic;\">Jarnail Singh<\/span> v. <span style=\"font-style: italic;\">State of Haryana<\/span>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.scconline.com\/DocumentLink\/8U7Pu72Q\" target=\"_blank\">(2013) 7 SCC 263<\/a>, which prescribed a hierarchy for determination of age, but did not exclude reliance on medical or other evidence. The Court noted that the victim deposed that she was 8 years old at the time of occurrence and studied in 4th standard, and her mother corroborated the same during cross-examination. The Court relied on <span style=\"font-style: italic;\">Biju<\/span> v. <span style=\"font-style: italic;\">State of Kerala<\/span>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/DocumentLink.aspx?q=JTXT-9003393030\" target=\"_blank\">2024 SCC OnLine Ker 7786<\/a>, where it was held that when the oral testimony of the victim is of sterling quality, there is nothing in the POCSO Act which would indicate that the unchallenged oral testimony of the mother of the victim could not be taken as proof of date of birth of the victim.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 3%;\">The Court highlighted that a fact in issue can be proved either by oral evidence or by documentary evidence or by both including circumstances arising therefrom. The Court explained that when the accused contends that the victim is not a child as defined in the POCSO Act, it is the bounden duty of the prosecution to prove the victim&#8217;s age. When the child and her mother state the date of birth which substantially shows that the victim is below 18 years, and the accused does not dispute it by cross-examining them, their substantial evidence remains unchallenged. But when the oral testimony given by the victim and the mother has been challenged during cross-examination and the prosecution fails to prove the victim&#8217;s age to be below 18 years, it is unsafe to fasten criminal culpability on the accused under the POCSO Act. The Court observed that in the present case it would be unsafe to hold that the prosecution failed to prove the victim&#8217;s age to be below 18 years.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 3%;\">Further, the doctor who had examined the victim deposed that the victim reported that the accused had caught on her vagina and that it was highly improbable that the girl would lie. Another security guard deposed that on 19 May 2014, the victim&#8217;s father came to the flat and assaulted the accused, alleging that he had sexually assaulted his daughter.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 3%;\">The Court opined that the ingredients of offences under Section <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/DocumentLink.aspx?q=JTXT-0001550529\" target=\"_blank\">7<\/a> read with Section <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/DocumentLink.aspx?q=JTXT-0001550530\" target=\"_blank\">8<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/DocumentLink.aspx?q=JTXT-0002825996\" target=\"_blank\">POCSO Act<\/a> as well as under Section <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/DocumentLink.aspx?q=JTXT-0001561668\" target=\"_blank\">354<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/DocumentLink.aspx?q=JTXT-0002726960\" target=\"_blank\">IPC<\/a>, were established by the prosecution beyond reasonable doubt. Therefore, the Special Judge rightly convicted the accused and no interference was required. The Court further observed that the sentence imposed was the statutory minimum prescribed under the POCSO Act, and therefore, no reduction in sentence was possible.<\/p>\n<h3>Decision<\/h3>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 3%;\">Accordingly, the Court, while dismissing the appeal, cancelled the order suspending sentence and granting bail to the accused as well as the bail bond executed by the accused. The accused was directed to surrender before the Special Court to undergo the sentence, failing which, the Special Court is directed to execute the sentence.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 3%;\">[<span style=\"font-weight: bold; color: #632423;\"><span style=\"font-style: italic;\">Joseph<\/span> v. <span style=\"font-style: italic;\">State of Kerala<\/span>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/DocumentLink.aspx?q=JTXT-9003392085\" target=\"_blank\">2026 SCC OnLine Ker 4310<\/a>, decided on 10-4-2026<\/span>]<\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<p>Advocates who appeared in this case:<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-left: 18pt;\"><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">For the Petitioner:<\/span> Manju Antoney, R. Anas Muhammed Shamnad, P.Mamatha, Advocates.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-left: 18pt;\"><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">For the Respondents:<\/span> Vipin Narayan.A, Sr. Public Prosecutor.<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"color: #000080;\">Buy Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 &nbsp; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ebcwebstore.com\/product_info.php?products_id=1309\" target=\"_blank\">HERE<\/a><\/h3>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 3%;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ebcwebstore.com\/product_info.php?products_id=1309\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/protection-of-children-from-sexual-offences-act-2012-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"protection of children from sexual offences act, 2012\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-294600\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/protection-of-children-from-sexual-offences-act-2012-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/protection-of-children-from-sexual-offences-act-2012-768x511.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/protection-of-children-from-sexual-offences-act-2012-440x293.jpg 440w, https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/protection-of-children-from-sexual-offences-act-2012-650x433.jpg 650w, https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/protection-of-children-from-sexual-offences-act-2012.jpg 886w, https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/protection-of-children-from-sexual-offences-act-2012-60x40.jpg 60w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"color: #000080;\">Buy Penal Code, 1860 &nbsp; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ebcwebstore.com\/product_info.php?products_id=1158\" target=\"_blank\">HERE<\/a><\/h3>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 3%;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ebcwebstore.com\/product_info.php?products_id=1158\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/penal-code-1860-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"penal code, 1860\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-294601\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/penal-code-1860-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/penal-code-1860-768x511.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/penal-code-1860-440x293.jpg 440w, https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/penal-code-1860-650x433.jpg 650w, https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/penal-code-1860.jpg 886w, https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/penal-code-1860-60x40.jpg 60w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p style=\"font-style: italic;\">The Court holds when the accused contends that the victim is not a child as defined in the POCSO Act, it is the prosecution&#8217;s duty to prove the victim&#8217;s age.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":67538,"featured_media":381978,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,10],"tags":[48083,71475,2523,54799,50918,23524,47066,32964,84590,84591,102850,46641],"class_list":["post-381977","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-casebriefs","category-highcourts","tag-age-determination","tag-justice-a-badharudeen","tag-Kerala_High_Court","tag-oral-testimony","tag-outraging-modesty","tag-pocso-act","tag-proof-of-age","tag-section-354-ipc","tag-section-7-pocso","tag-section-8-pocso","tag-sexual-assault-on-child","tag-victims-age"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.4 (Yoast SEO v27.4) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Unchallenged oral testimony sufficient to prove age under POCSO Act: Ker HC | SCC Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Kerala High Court holds that unchallenged oral testimony of victim and her mother regarding age remains unchallenged, conviction under POCSO Act is legally sustainable.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2026\/04\/23\/unchallenged-oral-testimony-sufficient-to-prove-age-under-pocso-act-ker-hc\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Unchallenged oral testimony of victim and her mother is sufficient to prove age; Kerala HC upholds POCSO conviction\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Kerala High Court holds that unchallenged oral testimony of victim and her mother regarding age remains unchallenged, conviction under POCSO Act is legally sustainable.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2026\/04\/23\/unchallenged-oral-testimony-sufficient-to-prove-age-under-pocso-act-ker-hc\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"SCC Times\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/scc.online\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-04-23T03:30:06+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/unchallenged-oral-testimony.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"886\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"590\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Sunaina\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"Unchallenged oral testimony of victim and her mother is sufficient to prove age; Kerala HC upholds POCSO conviction\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Sunaina\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.scconline.com\\\/blog\\\/post\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/23\\\/unchallenged-oral-testimony-sufficient-to-prove-age-under-pocso-act-ker-hc\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.scconline.com\\\/blog\\\/post\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/23\\\/unchallenged-oral-testimony-sufficient-to-prove-age-under-pocso-act-ker-hc\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Sunaina\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.scconline.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/34835827e9e9e8def4f8c83ccef5727f\"},\"headline\":\"Unchallenged oral testimony of victim and her mother is sufficient to prove age; Kerala HC upholds POCSO conviction\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-23T03:30:06+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.scconline.com\\\/blog\\\/post\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/23\\\/unchallenged-oral-testimony-sufficient-to-prove-age-under-pocso-act-ker-hc\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1068,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.scconline.com\\\/blog\\\/post\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/23\\\/unchallenged-oral-testimony-sufficient-to-prove-age-under-pocso-act-ker-hc\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.scconline.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/unchallenged-oral-testimony.webp\",\"keywords\":[\"Age Determination\",\"Justice A. Badharudeen\",\"Kerala High Court\",\"oral testimony\",\"Outraging Modesty\",\"POCSO Act\",\"Proof of Age\",\"Section 354 IPC\",\"Section 7 POCSO\",\"Section 8 POCSO\",\"sexual assault on child\",\"Victim's Age\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Case Briefs\",\"High Courts\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.scconline.com\\\/blog\\\/post\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/23\\\/unchallenged-oral-testimony-sufficient-to-prove-age-under-pocso-act-ker-hc\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.scconline.com\\\/blog\\\/post\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/23\\\/unchallenged-oral-testimony-sufficient-to-prove-age-under-pocso-act-ker-hc\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.scconline.com\\\/blog\\\/post\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/23\\\/unchallenged-oral-testimony-sufficient-to-prove-age-under-pocso-act-ker-hc\\\/\",\"name\":\"Unchallenged oral testimony sufficient to prove age under POCSO Act: Ker HC | SCC Times\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.scconline.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.scconline.com\\\/blog\\\/post\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/23\\\/unchallenged-oral-testimony-sufficient-to-prove-age-under-pocso-act-ker-hc\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.scconline.com\\\/blog\\\/post\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/23\\\/unchallenged-oral-testimony-sufficient-to-prove-age-under-pocso-act-ker-hc\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.scconline.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/unchallenged-oral-testimony.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-23T03:30:06+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.scconline.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/34835827e9e9e8def4f8c83ccef5727f\"},\"description\":\"Kerala High Court holds that unchallenged oral testimony of victim and her mother regarding age remains unchallenged, conviction under POCSO Act is legally sustainable.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.scconline.com\\\/blog\\\/post\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/23\\\/unchallenged-oral-testimony-sufficient-to-prove-age-under-pocso-act-ker-hc\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.scconline.com\\\/blog\\\/post\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/23\\\/unchallenged-oral-testimony-sufficient-to-prove-age-under-pocso-act-ker-hc\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.scconline.com\\\/blog\\\/post\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/23\\\/unchallenged-oral-testimony-sufficient-to-prove-age-under-pocso-act-ker-hc\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.scconline.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/unchallenged-oral-testimony.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.scconline.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/unchallenged-oral-testimony.webp\",\"width\":886,\"height\":590,\"caption\":\"unchallenged oral testimony\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.scconline.com\\\/blog\\\/post\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/23\\\/unchallenged-oral-testimony-sufficient-to-prove-age-under-pocso-act-ker-hc\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.scconline.com\\\/blog\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Unchallenged oral testimony of victim and her mother is sufficient to prove age; Kerala HC upholds POCSO conviction\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.scconline.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.scconline.com\\\/blog\\\/\",\"name\":\"SCC Times\",\"description\":\"Bringing you the Best Analytical Legal News\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.scconline.com\\\/blog\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.scconline.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/34835827e9e9e8def4f8c83ccef5727f\",\"name\":\"Sunaina\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/3a354bf6ec74d2631ada87f05d4d0974c39ba4fa4100c0cd4972b767e8824247?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/3a354bf6ec74d2631ada87f05d4d0974c39ba4fa4100c0cd4972b767e8824247?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/3a354bf6ec74d2631ada87f05d4d0974c39ba4fa4100c0cd4972b767e8824247?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Sunaina\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.scconline.com\\\/blog\\\/post\\\/author\\\/sunaina\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Unchallenged oral testimony sufficient to prove age under POCSO Act: Ker HC | SCC Times","description":"Kerala High Court holds that unchallenged oral testimony of victim and her mother regarding age remains unchallenged, conviction under POCSO Act is legally sustainable.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2026\/04\/23\/unchallenged-oral-testimony-sufficient-to-prove-age-under-pocso-act-ker-hc\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Unchallenged oral testimony of victim and her mother is sufficient to prove age; Kerala HC upholds POCSO conviction","og_description":"Kerala High Court holds that unchallenged oral testimony of victim and her mother regarding age remains unchallenged, conviction under POCSO Act is legally sustainable.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2026\/04\/23\/unchallenged-oral-testimony-sufficient-to-prove-age-under-pocso-act-ker-hc\/","og_site_name":"SCC Times","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/scc.online\/","article_published_time":"2026-04-23T03:30:06+00:00","og_image":[{"width":886,"height":590,"url":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/unchallenged-oral-testimony.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Sunaina","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_title":"Unchallenged oral testimony of victim and her mother is sufficient to prove age; Kerala HC upholds POCSO conviction","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Sunaina","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2026\/04\/23\/unchallenged-oral-testimony-sufficient-to-prove-age-under-pocso-act-ker-hc\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2026\/04\/23\/unchallenged-oral-testimony-sufficient-to-prove-age-under-pocso-act-ker-hc\/"},"author":{"name":"Sunaina","@id":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/34835827e9e9e8def4f8c83ccef5727f"},"headline":"Unchallenged oral testimony of victim and her mother is sufficient to prove age; Kerala HC upholds POCSO conviction","datePublished":"2026-04-23T03:30:06+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2026\/04\/23\/unchallenged-oral-testimony-sufficient-to-prove-age-under-pocso-act-ker-hc\/"},"wordCount":1068,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2026\/04\/23\/unchallenged-oral-testimony-sufficient-to-prove-age-under-pocso-act-ker-hc\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/unchallenged-oral-testimony.webp","keywords":["Age Determination","Justice A. Badharudeen","Kerala High Court","oral testimony","Outraging Modesty","POCSO Act","Proof of Age","Section 354 IPC","Section 7 POCSO","Section 8 POCSO","sexual assault on child","Victim's Age"],"articleSection":["Case Briefs","High Courts"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2026\/04\/23\/unchallenged-oral-testimony-sufficient-to-prove-age-under-pocso-act-ker-hc\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2026\/04\/23\/unchallenged-oral-testimony-sufficient-to-prove-age-under-pocso-act-ker-hc\/","url":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2026\/04\/23\/unchallenged-oral-testimony-sufficient-to-prove-age-under-pocso-act-ker-hc\/","name":"Unchallenged oral testimony sufficient to prove age under POCSO Act: Ker HC | SCC Times","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2026\/04\/23\/unchallenged-oral-testimony-sufficient-to-prove-age-under-pocso-act-ker-hc\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2026\/04\/23\/unchallenged-oral-testimony-sufficient-to-prove-age-under-pocso-act-ker-hc\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/unchallenged-oral-testimony.webp","datePublished":"2026-04-23T03:30:06+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/34835827e9e9e8def4f8c83ccef5727f"},"description":"Kerala High Court holds that unchallenged oral testimony of victim and her mother regarding age remains unchallenged, conviction under POCSO Act is legally sustainable.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2026\/04\/23\/unchallenged-oral-testimony-sufficient-to-prove-age-under-pocso-act-ker-hc\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2026\/04\/23\/unchallenged-oral-testimony-sufficient-to-prove-age-under-pocso-act-ker-hc\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2026\/04\/23\/unchallenged-oral-testimony-sufficient-to-prove-age-under-pocso-act-ker-hc\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/unchallenged-oral-testimony.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/unchallenged-oral-testimony.webp","width":886,"height":590,"caption":"unchallenged oral testimony"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2026\/04\/23\/unchallenged-oral-testimony-sufficient-to-prove-age-under-pocso-act-ker-hc\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Unchallenged oral testimony of victim and her mother is sufficient to prove age; Kerala HC upholds POCSO conviction"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/","name":"SCC Times","description":"Bringing you the Best Analytical Legal News","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/34835827e9e9e8def4f8c83ccef5727f","name":"Sunaina","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/3a354bf6ec74d2631ada87f05d4d0974c39ba4fa4100c0cd4972b767e8824247?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/3a354bf6ec74d2631ada87f05d4d0974c39ba4fa4100c0cd4972b767e8824247?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/3a354bf6ec74d2631ada87f05d4d0974c39ba4fa4100c0cd4972b767e8824247?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Sunaina"},"url":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/author\/sunaina\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/unchallenged-oral-testimony.webp","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":293207,"url":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2023\/05\/26\/delhi-high-court-did-not-interfere-conviction-in-pocso-case-based-on-child-victim-testimony-not-expected-to-have-mathematical-precision-in-recapitulating-harrowing-incident-legal-updates\/","url_meta":{"origin":381977,"position":0},"title":"[POCSO] Not expected for 7-year-old child to recapitulate the harrowing incidents with mathematical precision; Delhi High Court upholds conviction based on child testimony","author":"Arunima","date":"May 26, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Delhi High Court observed that it cannot lose sight of the fact that alleged offence was committed with a child victim of tender age who got frightened by the threats extended to him by the accused as well as by the alleged act of the accused and it is not\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Case Briefs&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Case Briefs","link":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/category\/casebriefs\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"delhi high court","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/delhi-high-court.webp?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/delhi-high-court.webp?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/delhi-high-court.webp?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/delhi-high-court.webp?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":217136,"url":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2019\/07\/22\/sikk-hc-lack-of-injury-on-genitals-of-victim-not-conclusive-proof-of-non-commission-of-rape-ocular-testimony-of-victim-has-greater-evidentiary-value-vis-a-vis-medical-evidence\/","url_meta":{"origin":381977,"position":1},"title":"Sikk HC | Lack of injury on genitals of victim not conclusive proof of non-commission of rape \u2013 ocular testimony of victim has greater evidentiary value vis-a-vis medical evidence","author":"Bhumika Indulia","date":"July 22, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Sikkim High Court: Bhaskar Raj Pradhan, J. hearing a criminal appeal filed by a person convicted of rape and sexual assault under Penal Code, 1860 (hereinafter 'IPC') and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 (hereinafter 'POCSO'), partly allowed the appeal and set aside conviction under POCSO Act on\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Case Briefs&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Case Briefs","link":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/category\/casebriefs\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":262914,"url":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2022\/03\/02\/touching-bum-of-a-minor-girl-will-be-sexual-assault\/","url_meta":{"origin":381977,"position":2},"title":"Touching \u2018bum\u2019 of a minor girl will be sexual assault punished under S. 10 of POCSO Act? POCSO Court explains","author":"Bhumika Indulia","date":"March 2, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Special Court for Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012, Fort, Greater Bombay: Expressing that, the sexual intention is the state of mind, may not necessarily to be proved by direct evidence, such intention is to be inferred from attending circumstances of the case, M.A. Baraliya, Designated Judge under\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Case Briefs&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Case Briefs","link":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/category\/casebriefs\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/POCSO.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/POCSO.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/POCSO.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/POCSO.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/POCSO.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":335628,"url":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2024\/11\/20\/patnahc-directs-release-of-old-man-after-10-years-who-was-wrongly-convicted-u-s-6-pocso-act-instead-of-s-4\/","url_meta":{"origin":381977,"position":3},"title":"&#8216;Convicted u\/Section 6 of POCSO Act instead of Section 4&#8217;; Patna HC directs release of an old man after 10 years&#8217; imprisonment; enhances victim compensation from Rs 4 to 5 lakhs","author":"Simranjeet","date":"November 20, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"The Trial Court did not notice the facts that the offence was committed in 2014 and at that time there was no such punishment as rigorous imprisonment for the remainder of natural life in Section 6 of POCSO Act.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Case Briefs&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Case Briefs","link":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/category\/casebriefs\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Patna High Court","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Patna-High-Court.webp?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Patna-High-Court.webp?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Patna-High-Court.webp?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Patna-High-Court.webp?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":254263,"url":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2021\/09\/16\/child-victims-testimony-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":381977,"position":4},"title":"Del HC | Can testimony of child victim be trustworthy? HC reiterates law on finding child witness competent","author":"Bhumika Indulia","date":"September 16, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Delhi High Court: Emphasising the reliability on the child victim\u2019s testimony, Manoj Kumar Ohri, J., dismissed the appeal filed and the conviction and sentence awarded under Section 10 of POCSO At was maintained. The present appeal was filed under Section 374(2) CrPC. Subject matter of the appeal was that the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Case Briefs&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Case Briefs","link":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/category\/casebriefs\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":254697,"url":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2021\/09\/24\/priest-of-temple-commits-penetrative-sexual-assault-on-young-girl\/","url_meta":{"origin":381977,"position":5},"title":"Priest of Temple commits penetrative sexual assault on young girl: Ker HC observes which God would accept obeisance and offerings of such Priest or make him a medium?","author":"Bhumika Indulia","date":"September 24, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Kerala High Court: Expressing, \u201cWhen a man abandons his wife and children, roving vultures wait to prey on not only the abandoned woman, but also the helpless children\u201d Division Bench of K. Vinod Chandran and Ziyad Rahman A.A., JJ., noted a case wherein a priest\/oracle of a temple took the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Case Briefs&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Case Briefs","link":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/category\/casebriefs\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/381977","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/67538"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=381977"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/381977\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":381981,"href":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/381977\/revisions\/381981"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/381978"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=381977"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=381977"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=381977"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}