In his order of January 12, a copy of which was made available on Thursday, Additional Sessions Judge D S Deshmukh held that the prosecution failed to prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt

The POCSO Act is designed to protect children from sexual offences by prescribing stringent punishments aimed at curbing the menace, addressing such crimes effectively, and deterring similar criminal behaviour, Special Court Judge Ruby U Malvankar noted in the order passed on Tuesday