The Age-of-Consent Debate (POCSO)

The POCSO Act draws a bright line at 18: any sexual activity with a person below that age is a crime, no matter how willing the minor was. In January 2026 the Supreme Court flagged how that blanket rule sweeps up consenting teenagers and inter-caste or inter-faith couples, and pressed New Delhi to consider a close-in-age exemption. The Law Commission, for its part, has refused to move the line but wants judges given room to sentence adolescent cases differently. This is the modern collision between child protection and adolescent autonomy.