Hathras Schools Host POCSO Legal Awareness Camps For Students

Legal awareness camps on the provisions of the POCSO Act-2012 and legal rights were organised in Hathras under the direction of the State Legal Services Authority, Lucknow, and on the orders of District Judge/Chairman Vinay Kumar-III.

On the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti, awareness camps are being held in different schools of the district from 25 September to 1 October 2026 to inform students about the provisions of the POCSO Act-2012 and their legal rights. As part of this programme, Special Judge (SC/ST Act) Harsh Agarwal and Additional District Judge, Court No. 2, Mahendra Rawat organised a legal literacy camp for students at Akrur Inter College, Hathras.

At the camp, Special Judge Harsh Agarwal informed the students about the provisions of the POCSO Act-2012 and the legal consequences linked to it. He explained that it is important for adolescent boys and girls to understand that, under the law, the consent of a person below 18 years of age does not carry the same legal value as the consent of an adult.

He said that due to lack of information, many adolescents get caught in such cases, which can have serious legal consequences. He appealed to the students to stay informed about the law and to take any step only after thinking carefully in every situation.

Additional District Judge Mahendra Rawat said the main purpose of the programme was to make adolescent boys and girls aware of their rights and safety. He told the students that if any person harasses them, they should immediately inform their parents or any trusted person.

He further said that if they do not get help from there, a written complaint can be made to the police. He also informed them that a complaint can be registered on the Child Helpline number 1098.

Assistant Legal Aid Defence Counsel Vijay Kumar Sengar gave detailed information about various provisions of the POCSO Act. Paralegal volunteers Sahab Singh, Chitra Singh and Ramkumar Sharma, along with law student Kriti, also provided important legal information related to the POCSO Act to the students.

The principal of the school, Ramtej, appealed to the students to share the information received in the camp with their families and with people around them. He also expressed gratitude to all the guests and the Legal Services Authority for organising the programme.

In addition to the school-level awareness programme, a legal awareness camp was also organised at the old age home located in Nagla Bhus on 1 October on the occasion of International Day of Older Persons. This camp was held on the orders of District Judge/Chairman Vinay Kumar-III and under the guidance of Anu Chaudhary, Secretary, District Legal Services Authority.

At the programme in the old age home, Doctor Om Prakash Saraswat and Rakesh Kumar made the elderly people aware of their respect, rights and social importance. The speakers said that old age is not the final stage of life, but a beautiful peak of experience and knowledge.

They said the life experiences of elderly people work as guidance for society and for the new generation. The speakers also assured the elderly residents that they are not alone and that society stands with them.

PLV Rakesh Kumar also expressed his views and extended greetings to all the elderly people on International Day of Older Persons. The programme was conducted with the support and coordination of Komal Singh.

On this occasion, the elderly people living in the old age home also shared their life experiences. The programmes in Hathras focused on legal awareness for students under the POCSO Act-2012 as well as legal and social awareness for elderly citizens, in line with the directions and guidance of the legal services authorities.