IN THE HIGH COURT OF ANDHRA PRADESH :: AMARAVATI TUESDAY, THIS THE NINETH DAY OF DECEMBER TWO THOUSAND AND TWENTY FIVE SPECIAL DIVISION BENCH PRESENT HONOURABLE SRI JUSTICE K SURESH REDDY And HONOURABLE SRI JUSTICE SUBBA REDDY SATTI CRIMINAL APPEAL No.1818 of 2018 JUDGMENT: (Per the Hon’ble Sri Justice K.Suresh Reddy Sole accused in POCSO S.C.No.152 of 2016 on the file of the Court of Special Sessions Judge for Trial of the Cases under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012-cum-I Additional Sessions Judge, East Godavari, Rajamahendravaram, is the appellant. He was tried by the learned Special Sessions Judge under the following charges:

The first charge was under Section 354-B IPC, The second charge was under Section 376(2)(i) IPC, The third charge was under Section 5(m) punishable under Section 6 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012; and The last charge was under Section 3(2)(v) of the SCs & STs (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.

2. Substance of the charge is that on 17.05.2015 at about 6.00 p.m. the accused assaulted the victim girl-P.W.1, aged about 6 years, using criminal force, removed her clothes and committed rape on her, who belong