Allahabad HC upholds POCSO’s conviction; reconfirms the single testimony of the child victim, if credible

Upholding the life imprisonment of the accused convicted under the POCSO Act, the Allahabad HC observed that the testimony of a child victim is placed on a higher pedestal than that of an ordinary aggrieved witness. File | Photo credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto

The Allahabad High Court on Wednesday (June 3, 2026) upheld life imprisonment for an accused convicted under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses Act (POCSO) and reaffirmed that the mere testimony of a child victim is enough to convict if it inspires confidence.

The court rejected the appeal and upheld the strict life sentence imposed on the accused for kidnapping and raping a seven-year-old child.

The court noted that since the plaintiff’s evidence is on such a high pedestal, it is the duty of the court to scrutinize it carefully.

Noting that the victim’s testimony remained unwavering and was fully corroborated by medical and forensic evidence, the court ruled that she qualified as a “master witness” so that her testimony alone was sufficient to support the conviction.

A Division Bench of Jai Krishna Upadhyay and Justice Siddhartha Varma observed, “So the law emerging on this issue is that the statement of the prosecution, if found to be credible and reliable, requires no corroboration. The court can record the conviction of the accused on the sole evidence of the prosecution.”

The Bench relied on several Supreme Court precedents, including Ganesan v. State represented by its Superintendent of Police (2020), in which the Supreme Court held that the solitary testimony of a prosecutor is sufficient to convict a rape accused, provided it inspires confidence, is absolutely credible, untainted and of superior quality.

The decision is also in line with the Supreme Court’s 2025 decision in Bhanei Prasad @ Raju v. State of Himachal Pradesh where the court held that the testimony of a child victim does not require any corroboration and noted that Section 29 of the POCSO Act creates a statutory presumption of guilt once the essential facts are proved.

Published – 08 Jun 2026 16:22 IST