Law Commission Not in Favour of Reducing Age of Consent From 18 to 16, Says Report

“Adolescents in the age bracket of 16 to l8 years still remain children who ought to enjoy higher protection of law and the age of consent cannot be disturbed either by reducing it or introducing a limited exception,” the commission headed by justice (retd) Ritu Raj Awasthi said in its report to the law ministry.

The panel’s recommendation comes amid a swirling debate over the age of consent under Pocso. In the past few years, a number of high courts have expressed concern that consensual relationships between teenagers were getting criminalised under the stringent 2012 law meant to protect children from sexual violence.

In his letter to law minister Arjun Singh Meghwal, the panel chairman said they started the exercise to study the relevant provisions following a reference received from the Karnataka high court in November 2022 recommending a rethink on the age of consent, “taking into consideration the rising number of cases relating to minor girls