Justice Reversal: A 20-Year-Old Conviction Overturned

The Kerala High Court acquitted Harikumar, initially convicted for selling obscene video cassettes, due to lack of substantive evidence after the courts failed to review the content personally. This ruling highlights the importance of direct video examination in obscenity cases to ensure just verdicts.

A landmark decision by the Kerala High Court has overturned a two-decade-old conviction, acquitting Harikumar, previously found guilty of selling video cassettes containing alleged obscene content.

The pivotal issue arose when it was revealed that neither the magisterial nor the sessions court had reviewed the video cassettes' content, a critical step in confirming the obscenity charge under section 292 of the Indian Penal Code.

The High Court highlighted this oversight, emphasizing that courts must personally examine such evidence to substantiate obscenity claims, ultimately setting aside the previous conviction and sentence, thus acquitting Harikumar of all charges.

(With inputs from agencies.)