India, Sept. 12 -- A teacher may be guilty of poor judgment or inappropriate corporal punishment, but that alone cannot turn classroom discipline into a Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) offence, the Supreme Court has held while quashing criminal proceedings against a schoolteacher accused of beating two minor girls.

A bench of justices Ujjal Bhuyan and Atul S Chandurkar made the observation while quashing the POCSO case against a West Bengal schoolteacher accused of beating two Class 10 girl students on their back and waist when they failed to answer questions in geography class.

The apex court said the teacher could have handled the situation "in a much more sensitive manner", but the conduct alleged against him coul...