WHAT THE LAW SAYS

Section 468 of CRPC specifies the periods of limitation for lodging complaints:

Six months, if the offence is punishable with fine only 473, says a court may take cognisance of an older case if it is in the “interest of justice” or the “delay has been properly explained”.

WCD ministry officials, however, said despite Section 473 there have been many instances where law enforcement agencies have failed to lodge a complaint when child survivors of sexual abuse tried to lodge complaint after they turned adult.

“It is to ensure that no survivor is turned away from lodging a complaint till he/she is 25-yearold that we are proposing the time limit,” the second official said.

Legal experts said they were against the time limit for filing complaint in such offences.