As Supreme Court flags the need for a Romeo–Juliet clause, three cases show how a law meant to protect children is upending young lives
A 10-month-old baby being raised without a father, a couple who spent a year in hiding, and a young man trying to piece his life together after five-and-a-half years in prison — these are just some of the ways one law has scarred multiple lives.
The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act, 2012 was enacted to protect children under 18 from sexual assault, harassment and pornography. But it has also criminalised teenage relationships by mandating any sexual act between two minors — even when consensual — as a crime, with a minimum of 10 years of imprisonment for the offender.
The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act, 2012 was enacted to protect children under 18 from sexual assault, harassment and pornography. But it has also criminalised teenage relationships by mandating any sexual act between two minors — even when consensual — as a crime, with a minimum of 10 years of imprisonment for the offender.