New Delhi, Sept. 27 -- Personal laws cannot be a ground to seek exemption from criminal liability under penal statutes, the Delhi high court held as it directed a Muslim man to face trial under the protection of children from sexual offences (Pocso) Act for establishing sexual relations with his underage wife. A bench of justice Sanjeev Narula held that personal law may determine whether a marriage has been contracted and the civil consequences that follow, but cannot supply an exception to criminal law when Parliament has provided none. In the present case, the court said the personal law cannot prevail over the statutory protections accorded to children under the Pocso Act, and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). "A marriage claimed to be ...