The Union of India has apprised the Parliament that it was not considering any proposal to reduce the age of consent from 18 to 16 years under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act 2012 to prevent the criminalisation of consensual relationships between teenagers.
In a written reply to Rajya Sabha MP Binoy Viswam, Union Minister for Women and Child Development Smriti Irani said that as per the Indian Majority Act, 18 years was the age of majority and that the POCSO Act ‘clearly defined’ a child as any person below the age of 18 years.
The Communist Party of India MP had raised an unstarred question, “Whether the Government is considering any proposal to reduce the age of consent from 18 to 16 years under the Act to prevent the criminalization of consensual relationships between teenagers?”
The Minister said that the need to reduce the age of consent did not ‘arise’.