A special court in Karbi Anglong has ordered the framing of charges against Mr. Gaurav Upadhyay, a 2012-batch IPS officer from Assam, in connection with a six-year-old sexual harassment case involving a minor. The order, passed by Special POCSO Judge Mr. R. Lal on Wednesday, was made public on Saturday.
According to the court’s findings, Mr. Upadhyay is accused of committing two separate incidents of sexual assault on a 14-year-old girl in December 2019. At the time, he was serving as the Superintendent of Police of Karbi Anglong district. The first incident allegedly occurred at the official SP bungalow in Diphu, while the second took place in a hotel room where the victim was staying with her mother and brother.
The case was registered in January 2020 based on a complaint filed by the victim’s mother. The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) later took over the investigation and submitted a charge sheet naming Mr. Upadhyay as the accused.
Mr. Gaurav Upadhyay, who hails from Uttar Pradesh, is currently serving as the Additional Secretary of Assam’s State Transport Department. He also holds additional responsibilities as the State Project Director of the Assam Inland Water Transport Development Society and Project Officer of the Assam Integrated River Basin Management.
The court highlighted that since the incidents took place during Mr. Upadhyay’s tenure as SP of Karbi Anglong, they occurred under his official jurisdiction and control—making the charges more serious. The judge has framed charges under Section 10 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, which deals with aggravated sexual assault, and Sections 354 and 354A of the Indian Penal Code, related to assault or criminal force to outrage the modesty of a woman and sexual harassment.
The special court also raised concerns over the prolonged delay in bringing the case to trial. Despite directives from the Supreme Court and the legislature for expeditious proceedings in POCSO cases, the matter remained in the pre-trial stage for years, prompting the judge to question whether the case was deliberately kept pending.
With charges now formally framed, the case is expected to proceed to trial.
