The Allahabad High Court has released the sixth edition of its ‘Historical Judgments in e-Booklet Form’, featuring the Hindi translation of the Supreme Court’s landmark judgment in Just Right for Children Alliance & Anr. vs S. Harish & Ors., which deals with child rights and digital safety.
The judgment makes it clear that merely downloading, viewing or storing such material is itself a criminal offence under Indian law.
The ruling thus settles the legal position on the passive consumption of child-related explicit material.
The e-booklet contains the Hindi translation of the September 23, 2024, judgment delivered by a Supreme Court division bench comprising then Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud and Justice J.B. Pardiwala in Criminal Appeal Nos. 2161-2162 of 2024.
The sixth edition was launched on September 30, 2026, by the Hon’ble AI Assisted Legal Translation Advisory, e-AHCR and ILR Committee of the Allahabad High Court.
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The judgment, described in the press release as a significant ruling concerning children’s rights and digital safety, overturned an earlier order of the Madras High Court which had quashed a chargesheet on the ground that private viewing or storage of obscene material, without transmission, did not amount to a criminal offence.
The Supreme Court rejected that interpretation, observing that such an approach would defeat the purpose of child protection laws and normalise exploitation.
The Supreme Court also issued a series of directions in the matter. It directed that the expression ‘Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse Material (CSEAM)’ be used in place of terms such as ‘child obscenity’ and ‘child pornography’.
The Court further called for the implementation of comprehensive sex education programmes and support services for victims as well as rehabilitation programmes for offenders.
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Among other directions, the judgment called for public awareness campaigns on the realities and consequences of child sexual exploitation material.
It also directed that individuals at risk be identified at an early stage and that therapeutic strategies be implemented for youth with problematic sexual behaviour (PSB).
The Court further emphasised school-based programmes to educate students about healthy relationships, consent and appropriate behaviour.
The Supreme Court also directed that an expert committee be constituted by the Union of India to give meaning to the suggestions contained in the judgment and to work on the necessary procedures.
It further directed that consideration be given to amending sub-section (1) of Section 15 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act in Parliament.
The Allahabad High Court has made the Hindi translation available free of cost on its official website under the ‘Allahabad High Court Judgment Journal (e-AHCR)’ tab.
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The initiative is intended to make important judicial decisions accessible to a wider section of readers, including legal researchers, advocates, judicial officers and law students.
The press release said the series of ‘Historical Judgments in e-Booklet Form’ is intended to serve as reference material for stakeholders associated with the legal system.
The sixth edition focuses specifically on a judgment concerning child rights and digital safety and seeks to make the Supreme Court’s reasoning available to all stakeholders.
The AI-assisted translation project is being carried out by the SUVAS Cell at Allahabad and Lucknow under the patronage of Chief Justice Arun Bhansali and the guidance of the AI Assisted Legal Translation Advisory, e-AHCR and ILR Committee.
The committee comprises Justice Ajit Kumar, Chairman, and members Justice Sameer Jain, Justice Vikram D. Chauhan and Justice Vivek Kumar Singh.
The occasion was also attended by Justice Swarupama Chaturvedi, who had represented the cause of children as an advocate and contributed the foreword to the publication.
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The press release noted her association with the publication and her contribution towards highlighting issues concerning the rights of children.
The sixth edition is part of the Allahabad High Court’s continuing effort to provide important judgments in Hindi through its e-booklet initiative.
By making the translated judgment freely available through the Court’s official platform, the initiative seeks to facilitate wider access to significant judicial pronouncements and provide a useful resource for legal professionals, students and members of the public.
Category: Press Release
Date of Issue: 30.09.2026
