India, May 23 -- The Supreme Court on Friday decided not to sentence a man convicted under the POCSO Act, 2012, saying the legal process had caused more harm to the victim than the incident itself.

A bench of Justice Abhay Oka and Justice Ujjal Bhuyan invoked Article 142 of the Constitution, which allows the Supreme Court to do "complete justice," to show leniency in the case. The decision was based on a detailed report from a court-appointed expert committee.

The judgment came after a suo motu proceeding triggered by controversial remarks made by the Calcutta high court while acquitting a 25-year-old man earlier convicted under the POCSO Act.

The high court's comments on adolescent sexuality, saying that girls should "control their se...