Chapter 1 (PRELIMINARY)
1. Short title, extent and commencement.-
(1) This Act may be called the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012.
(2) It extends to the whole of India, except the State of Jammu and Kashmir.
(3) It shall come into force on such date as the Central Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, appoint.
2. Definitions.-
(1) In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,
(a) "aggravated penetrative sexual assault" has the same meaning as assigned to it in section 5;
(b) "aggravated sexual assault" has the same meaning as assigned to it in section 9;
(c) "armed forces or security forces" means armed forces of the Union or security forces or police forces, as specified in the Schedule;
(d) "child" means any person below the age of eighteen years;
(e) "domestic relationship" shall have the same meaning as assigned to it in clause (f) of section 2 of the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005 (43 of 2005);
(f) "penetrative sexual assault" has the same meaning as assigned to it in section 3;
(g) prescribedmeans prescribed by rules made under this Act;
(h) religious institutionshall have the same meaning as assigned to it in the Religious Institutions (Prevention of Misuse) Act, 1988 (41 of 1988);
(i) "sexual assault" has the same meaning as assigned to it in section 7;
(j) "sexual harassment" has the same meaning as assigned to it in section 11;
(k) "shared household" means a household where the person charged with the offence lives or has lived at any time in a domestic relationship with the child;
(l) "Special Court" means a court designated as such under section 28;
(m) "Special Public Prosecutor" means a Public Prosecutor appointed under section 32.
(2) The words and expressions used herein and not defined but defined in the Indian Penal Code (45 of 1860), the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 (2 of 1974), the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2000 (56 of 2000) and the Information Technology Act, 2000 (21 of 2000) shall have the meanings respectively assigned to them in the said Codes or the Acts.