The Supreme Court has deemed downloading, storing, and watching child pornography as an offence under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act. The court has set aside a previous judgment by the Madras High Court, which stated that downloading and viewing such content is not punishable. In light of this, the Supreme Court has urged the central government to change the terminology from "child pornography" to "child sexually abusive and exploitative material" and has directed other courts to refrain from using the term as well. This decision comes after a plea filed by an NGO coalition to challenge the Madras High Court's order, arguing that it would encourage child pornography and harm the well-being of children.
In a joint operation by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) and Bachpan Bachao Andolan (BBA), 58 children, including 19 girls, were rescued from an illegal distillery in Madhya Pradesh. The children, who were forced to work 12-14 hour shifts and transported in a school bus, were found with burn wounds from exposure to harsh chemicals and alcohol. The CM of Madhya Pradesh has promised strict action against the guilty and the BBA is calling for justice for the exploited children. This comes just two days after the NCPCR and BBA rescued 36 children from three factories in the same district.