Delhi High Court upheld a POCSO conviction but reduced the prison term, applying the punishment law in force when the offences occurred and correcting the sentence’s nature.
New Delhi: Justice Madhu Jain changed a 30-year simple-imprisonment sentence to 15 years’ rigorous imprisonment in Mohd Anzar Ahmad v. State NCT of Delhi & Anr.
Earlier law governs punishment
The offences occurred in 2014–2015. Paragraph 49 held that Article 20(1) barred retrospective application of the 2019 increase in Section 6’s minimum punishment.
Paragraphs 54–58 stressed that Section 6 required rigorous imprisonment. The trial court had insufficiently explained the 30-year term. The High Court weighed the repeated assaults against the appellant’s age, antecedents and prolonged custody.
Conviction remains intact
Convictions under Section 6 POCSO and Sections 363 and 506 IPC stand. The Rs 25,000 POCSO fine and default sentence remain unchanged. Other sentences remain concurrent, with detention set-off; remission and commutation provisions remain applicable.
Case: Mohd Anzar Ahmad v. State NCT of Delhi & Anr.
Number: CRL.A. 276/2025
Court: Delhi High Court
Bench: Justice Madhu Jain
Decision: November 2, 2026
Outcome: Appeal partly allowed on sentence.