Allahabad High Court strikes down the compulsory injury report rule for financial assistance to POCSO survivors

26 October 2026

The Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court declared unconstitutional a rule that made an injury report compulsory before a child sexual assault survivor could receive financial assistance under the Uttar Pradesh Rani Lakshmi Bai Mahila Evam Bal Samman Kosh Scheme, 2015. The Court held the condition manifestly arbitrary and violative of Article 14, and held that compensation for a child victim of sexual assault cannot depend on the presence of physical injury, since many offences under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act leave no visible injury. Victim compensation schemes in India are framed by State governments under Section 357A of the Code of Criminal Procedure, now carried into the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita.