In a rare judgment invoking its extraordinary powers under Article 142 of the Constitution, the Supreme Court has quashed the conviction and sentence of a man who had been found guilty under Section 366 IPC and Section 6 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, after taking note of his subsequent marriage to the victim and their settled family life.

The Court also imposed a condition upon the appellant to not desert his wife and child and to maintain them with dignity for the rest of their lives, warning that any breach of this condition could invite serious consequences.

The bench comprising Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice Augustine George Masih observed that while the appellant had been convicted of a heinous offence, the peculiar facts of the case called fo

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