New Delhi: The Delhi High Court has acquitted a man convicted under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, ruling that the phrase “physical relations” used by the prosecutrix was too vague to constitute proof of rape or penetrative sexual assault.

Observing that the prosecution had failed to prove the essential ingredients of the offences beyond reasonable doubt, a single-judge Bench of Justice Manoj Kumar Ohri said: “In the peculiar facts and circumstances of this case, the use of the term ‘physical relations’, unaccompanied by any supporting evidence, would not be sufficient to hold that the prosecution has been able to prove the offence beyond reasonable doubt.”

The appellant, Rahul @ Bhupinder Verma, had been sentenced to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment by a

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