Age of consensual sex should be lowered from 18 to 16; Madhya Pradesh HC requests to central government

BHOPAL: The Madhya Pradesh High Court has asked the central government to lower the minimum age for consensual sex from 18 to 16. Justice Deepak Kumar Aggarwal of the Madhya Pradesh High Court observed that this is to remedy the injustice done to adolescent boys.

Puberty is reached around the age of 14. In this age of social media awareness and easy internet connectivity, boys and girls under the age of 18 are having consensual sex. Court requested that the minimum age for consensual sex should be lowered to 16 in this context.

An amendment to the Criminal Code made in 2013 had raised the minimum age for consensual sex from 16 to 18. The minimum age for consensual sex was raised to 18 due to society seeing children of this age as criminals and causing injustice to boys. Earlier, the Madras High Court had also made the same request to the Central Government, but the Government informed the Parliament that such a proposal is not under consideration.