{"id":82913,"date":"2026-01-17T11:11:16","date_gmt":"2026-01-17T05:41:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/?p=82913"},"modified":"2026-01-18T09:44:17","modified_gmt":"2026-01-18T04:14:17","slug":"pocso-law-and-romeo-juliet-exception-scs-rethink","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/pocso-law-and-romeo-juliet-exception-scs-rethink\/","title":{"rendered":"POCSO Law and Romeo-Juliet Exception: SC\u2019s Rethink"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2><b>Pocso Law Latest News<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Supreme Court of India has urged the Union Law Secretary to consider steps to prevent the misuse of the <\/span><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/pocso-act\/\" target=\"_blank\">Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, particularly in cases involving consensual adolescent relationships.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While setting aside an Allahabad High Court order on age determination in a bail matter, a bench of Justices recommended exploring a \u201cRomeo-Juliet clause\u201d.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Such a provision would exempt consensual sexual activity between teenagers close in age from criminal prosecution, an approach followed in several countries, including the US.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The observation comes amid a pending public interest litigation on the age of consent and reflects growing judicial concern over the <\/span><b>blanket criminalisation<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of consensual sexual acts between minors under the existing POCSO framework.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>POCSO Act: Balancing Child Protection and Adolescent Autonomy<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012, <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">anyone below 18 is considered a child<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and the law does not recognise consent by minors.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0As a result, all sexual activity involving a minor is criminalised, irrespective of whether it is consensual or non-exploitative.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In its recent judgment, the Supreme Court of India acknowledged that while POCSO is a \u201c<\/span><b>solemn articulation of justice<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d aimed at protecting children from abuse, its misuse has created a \u201cgrim societal chasm\u201d.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The court observed that the law is often invoked by families to oppose consensual relationships between adolescents, raising concerns about over-criminalisation and the <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">denial of young people\u2019s autonomy<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Growing Momentum for Reform<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The demand to amend the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 has gained renewed traction through a pending public interest litigation before the Supreme Court of India concerning safeguards for women in sexual offence prosecutions.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>Arguments for Adolescent Autonomy<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Senior Advocate Indira Jaising, assisting the court as amicus curiae, has argued for either reading down the age of consent or introducing statutory exceptions.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In her submissions, she contended that blanket criminalisation violates adolescents\u2019 fundamental rights under Articles 14, 15, 19, and 21 of the Constitution.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>\u2018Evolving Capacity\u2019 and the Mature Minor Doctrine<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Jaising maintained that adolescents aged 16\u201318 possess an \u201cevolving capacity\u201d to make informed decisions about sexual autonomy.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Drawing on the common law \u201c<\/span><b>mature minor\u201d doctrine<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, she argued that treating all under-18s as incapable of consent ignores scientific realities, including the biological onset of puberty.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>Proposal for a Close-in-Age Exception<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To address misuse of the law, Jaising proposed a \u201cclose-in-age\u201d or \u201cRomeo-Juliet\u201d exception.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Under this approach, consensual relationships between adolescents close in age\u2014such as a 16- and 17-year-old\u2014would not attract criminal liability, preventing unnecessary incarceration under the POCSO framework.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Union Government\u2019s Case for Retaining the Existing Law<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Union Government of India has opposed any reduction in the age of consent or the creation of legislative exceptions under the POCSO Act, 2012.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In its submissions before the Supreme Court of India, it argued that fixing the age of consent at 18 is a deliberate and carefully considered choice to provide an absolute protective shield for children.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>Rationale: Vulnerability and Strict Liability<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The government maintained that minors lack the legal and developmental capacity to give meaningful consent.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It defended the Act\u2019s strict liability framework\u2014where consent is irrelevant\u2014on the ground that children are especially vulnerable to manipulation and coercion by adults, including those in positions of trust.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>Concerns Over Dilution and Misuse<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">According to the government, introducing exceptions or lowering the age of consent could create loopholes that allow child abuse and trafficking to be disguised as consensual relationships.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Diluting the age threshold, it warned, would revive the very mischief the law was enacted to address.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>Preference for Judicial Discretion<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Centre argued that relief in hard cases should come through judicial discretion exercised on a case-by-case basis, rather than through statutory dilution of protections built into the law.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>Law Commission\u2019s View<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In 2023, the Law Commission of India also advised against lowering the age of consent to 16.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, it acknowledged the concern by recommending guided judicial discretion in sentencing for cases involving tacit consent by adolescents aged 16\u201318, instead of creating a blanket statutory exception.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Data Highlights Misuse and Unintended Consequences of POCSO<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Empirical evidence supports judicial concerns over the application of the POCSO Act, 2012.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A study by Enfold Proactive Health Trust and UNICEF found that nearly 25% of POCSO cases in Maharashtra, Assam, and West Bengal between 2016 and 2020 involved consensual \u201cromantic\u201d relationships between adolescents.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The data indicates <\/span><b>frequent misuse<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of the law by families to control daughters\u2019 choices, particularly in inter-caste or inter-religious relationships.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Beyond legal misuse, the criminalisation of adolescent sexuality has serious public health implications.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mandatory reporting under POCSO compels doctors to inform police about underage pregnancies or sexual activity, <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">discouraging adolescents from accessing essential sexual and reproductive healthcare due to fear of prosecution<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Conclusion<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Supreme Court\u2019s recent judgment underscored that this problem cannot be resolved through case-by-case discretion alone.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It signalled the need for a structural legislative solution, warning that when a law designed to protect children is misused as \u201ca tool for exacting revenge\u201d, the very idea of justice risks being inverted.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Source:<\/b> <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/explained\/explained-law\/why-supreme-court-wants-government-to-consider-a-romeo-juliet-exception-in-pocso-act-10477523\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">IE<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ndtv.com\/india-news\/what-is-romeo-juliet-clause-the-supreme-court-wants-under-pocso-act-10709061\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">NDTV<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"ytb-video-wrapper\">\n        <div class=\"ytb-video-inner\">\n            <iframe \n                src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/U3-iN2NjNeQ\" \n                width=\"560\" \n                height=\"315\" \n                frameborder=\"0\" \n                allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" \n                allowfullscreen>\n            <\/iframe>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>POCSO law faces scrutiny as the Supreme Court urges a Romeo-Juliet exception to prevent misuse and protect consensual adolescent relationships from blanket criminalisation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":82928,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[60,4774,22,1888],"class_list":{"0":"post-82913","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-upsc-mains-current-affairs","8":"tag-mains-articles","9":"tag-pocso-law","10":"tag-upsc-current-affairs","11":"tag-upsc-mains-current-affair","12":"no-featured-image-padding"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82913","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=82913"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82913\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/82928"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=82913"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=82913"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=82913"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}