The Bombay High Court has ruled that groping without ‘skin to skin’ contact is not sexual assault as defined under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act. The ruling was pronounced by a single judge bench of Justice Pushpa Ganediwala, stated a report in India Today.

In a recent judgment, the Nagpur bench of Bombay High Court ruled that there must be physical contact “i.e skin-to-skin contact with sexual intent without penetration” and mere groping would not amount to sexual assault under the Pocso Act. The court opined that touching a minor’s chest would not amount to sexual assault unless the accused removed the top worn by the child or slid their hand within the child's garment.