Special POCSO Court Jails Man For Instagram Reel. Here’s Why

A special POCSO court in Etah sentenced a 25-year-old man to 15 days in jail and imposed a fine of ₹1,000 after he was caught making an Instagram reel during proceedings in a gang-rape case.

Judge Narendra Pal Rana ordered the man’s phone to be confiscated and directed that a case be registered against him. The man was also asked to submit his reply within an hour.

The accused claimed his phone had “automatically started making videos,” but the judge dismissed it as a “lame explanation.”

In a five-page order, Judge Rana stated: “In view of the facts and circumstances of the matter, it would be just and proper to punish him under Section 23(4) read with Section 18 of the POCSO Act.”