Jhansi POCSO court jails man 5 years for CSEM circulation, storage
Synopsis
A Jhansi POCSO court has convicted a man for running multiple Pdisk accounts to store and circulate child sexual exploitation material, sentencing him to five years in prison. The CBI case, registered in 2021, exposed a cross-border syndicate allegedly monetising CSEM through video-sharing and social media platforms.
Key Takeaways
A special POCSO court in Jhansi , Uttar Pradesh, convicted Ramji on 22 May for CSEM circulation and storage.
The court sentenced him to five years of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of ₹1.5 lakh .
The CBI registered the case on 14 November 2021 after receiving information about a cross-border CSEM syndicate.
The accused allegedly operated multiple Gmail IDs and Pdisk accounts to host and distribute CSEM, reportedly for monetary gain.
A chargesheet was filed on 30 June 2022 ; trial began after charges were framed on 20 April 2023 .
A special Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) court in Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh, has convicted an accused identified as Ramji and sentenced him to five years of rigorous imprisonment (RI) along with a fine of ₹1.5 lakh in a child sexual exploitation material (CSEM) case, officials said on Friday, 22 May. The verdict was pronounced by the Special Judge under the POCSO Act after the court found him guilty of circulating and storing CSEM through online platforms.
Background of the Case
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had registered the case on 14 November 2021, acting on source information that a syndicate operating across multiple locations in India and abroad was allegedly involved in circulating, storing, and viewing CSEM through social media platforms and groups. Investigators alleged that the accused and others were disseminating objectionable content by sharing links, videos, images, and posts, and by hosting such material on social media groups and third-party storage platforms.
How the Accused Operated
During the investigation, the CBI found that Ramji was operating multiple Gmail IDs allegedly used to create several accounts on Pdisk — a video-sharing platform — under different usernames. Several of these accounts reportedly contained electronic material depicting children in sexually explicit acts. According to the CBI, the accused used these Pdisk accounts to circulate pornographic and CSEM content and also allegedly derived monetary gains from the activity.
Chargesheet and Trial
After completing its probe, the CBI filed a chargesheet against the accused on 30 June 2022, followed by a supplementary chargesheet on 7 December 2022. The court formally framed charges on 20 April 2023, after which the trial commenced. Following examination of evidence and arguments from both sides, the special court delivered its conviction and sentencing order.
The Verdict
The special POCSO court awarded Ramji five years of rigorous imprisonment and imposed a monetary penalty of ₹1.5 lakh. The case is part of a broader CBI-led crackdown on CSEM networks that were allegedly operating across India and overseas through social media and video-hosting platforms. This conviction underscores the judiciary's application of the POCSO Act to online child exploitation offences — a category that has seen increased prosecutorial attention in recent years.
Point of View
But the broader syndicate — described as operating from different parts of India and abroad — remains only partially addressed. One conviction after a four-year investigation cycle raises questions about the pace of prosecution for network-level CSEM offences. As video-sharing and cloud-storage platforms multiply, courts and investigators will need faster evidentiary pipelines to keep deterrence credible.
NationPress
9 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What was the Jhansi POCSO court verdict on 22 May?
The special POCSO court in Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh, convicted an accused named Ramji and sentenced him to five years of rigorous imprisonment along with a fine of ₹1.5 lakh for circulating and storing child sexual exploitation material (CSEM) through online platforms.
What was the CBI's role in this case?
The CBI registered the case on 14 November 2021 based on information about a syndicate allegedly circulating CSEM across social media and video-hosting platforms. It conducted the investigation, filed a chargesheet in June 2022, and a supplementary chargesheet in December 2022, leading to the conviction.
How did the accused allegedly operate?
According to the CBI, Ramji used multiple Gmail IDs to create several accounts on Pdisk, a video-sharing platform, under different usernames. These accounts reportedly contained sexually explicit material involving children, which he allegedly distributed for monetary gain.
What is the POCSO Act and how does it apply here?
The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act is an Indian law that criminalises sexual offences against minors, including the storage and circulation of child sexual exploitation material online. The Jhansi court applied it to convict Ramji for his digital activities involving CSEM.
Was anyone else charged in this case?
The CBI's investigation indicated that a wider syndicate operating from different parts of India and abroad was allegedly involved. However, the court proceedings reported on 22 May specifically addressed the conviction of accused Ramji; the status of other alleged members of the network has not been detailed in official statements.
