Legal World

Section 23 POCSO Act — Procedure for media

The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 · Official PDF page 13

Open in NyayaOfficial PDF, page 13

23. Procedure for media. —(1) No person shall make any report or present comments on any child from any form of media or studio or photographic facilities without having complete and authentic information, which may have the effect of lowering his reputation or infringing upon his privacy.

(2) No reports in any media shall disclose, the identity of a child including his name, address, photograph, family details, school, neighbourhood or any other particulars which may lead to disclosure of identity of the child:

Provided that for reasons to be recorded in writing, the Special Court, competent to try the case under the Act, may permit such disclosure, if in its opinion such disclosure is in the interest of the child.

(3) The publisher or owner of the media or studio or photographic facilities shall be jointly and severally liable for the acts and omissions of his employee.

(4) Any person who contravenes the provisions of sub -section (1) or sub-section (2) shall be liable to be punished with imprisonment of either description for a period which shall not be less than six months but which may extend to one year or with fine or with both.

Text extracted from the official PDF (India Code source edition; cover states: 1st July, 2026). Line breaks and footnote marks may differ; the PDF is the authority.

For research. Check the official gazette and later amendments before citing a section.