Centre defends statutory age of 18 years for consent in SC

'SHIELDS MINORS'

- MPOST BUREAU

NEW DELHI: The Centre has defended in the Supreme Court the statutory age of consent of 18 years, saying the decision was a "deliberate, well-considered, and coherent" policy choice aimed at shielding minors from sexual exploitation.

The Centre, in its written submissions through Additional Solicitor General Aishwaraya Bhati, argued diluting the age of consent or introducing exceptions under the guise of adolescent romance would be not only legally unsound but also dangerous.

The government said it would provide a defence mechanism even to those abusers who exploit a child's emotional dependence or silence.

The Centre further said the existing statutory age of consent must be strictly and uniformly enforced.

"Any departure from this standard, even in the name of reform or adolescent autonomy, would amount to rolling back decades of progress in child protection law, and undermine the deterrent character of statutes like the POCSO (the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) Act, 2012 and the BNS (Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita)."