POCSO Case Filed Against R Sreelekha for Disclosing Survivors’ Identities

Thiruvananthapuram: A case has been registered against BJP leader and former DGP R Sreelekha for disclosing the names and personal details of survivors in POCSO cases through her YouTube channel.

The Museum Police registered the case based on a complaint filed by civil rights activist R Jayachandran. According to the complaint, revealing the identities and other details of minor survivors of sexual offences through social media amounts to a serious violation of the law, particularly when done by a person well-versed in legal provisions.

The FIR has been filed under relevant sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, including Sections 23, 23(2) and 23(4), as well as Section 72 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which deals with unlawful disclosure of victims’ identities.

The complaint states that through her YouTube channel, Sreelekha disclosed the name of a law student from Perumbavoor who was raped and murdered. It further states that in another video, she mentioned the names of victims in the Kilirur and Kaviyoor sexual assault and murder cases, along with details about their parents.

Under Section 72 of the BNS, disclosure of a survivor’s identity is punishable with imprisonment of up to two years. Sections 23 and 23(2) of the POCSO Act prescribe imprisonment ranging from six months to one year for revealing the identity of a child victim.