SC questions the misuse of POCSO in teen relationships
The Supreme Court of India has questioned the application of the POCSO Act to consensual teenage relationships, suggesting that the law is being misused by parents to protect family honor. The court emphasized that teenage years are a period of experimentation and that the state should not criminalize adolescent privacy.
Why it matters
This legal discourse highlights a significant tension between traditional social values and the evolving legal rights of adolescents in India.
The Supreme Court on Monday (July 13, 2026) questioned the invocation of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act against teenagers involved in voluntary sexual relationships.
A Bench of Justices B.V. Nagarathna and R. Mahadevan observed that parents often resort to criminal proceedings to protect their so-called “honour” when teenage girls elope with their partners.
“How can the state prevent the elopement of a girl and a boy? POCSO concerns the sexual assault and exploitation of children,” the court observed.
Noting that teenage is a period of vulnerability, the court asked if relationships between those in the age group of 15-18 years attracted the penal provisions of POCSO. “It is the age of experimentation,” the Bench said.
The top court made the observation while hearing a suo motu case concerning the right to privacy of adolescents.
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