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.

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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.

The case had been initiated in the wake of the Calcutta High Court’s controversial ruling of 2023, which called for adolescent girls to “control” their sexual urges instead of getting entangled in relationships.

The High Court verdict was later set aside by the top court in 2024 after a suo motu case was registered on the right to privacy of adolescents, and a slew of directions were passed.