Delhi HC quashes life term in POCSO case, backs 'Romeo-Juliet' clause
The Delhi High Court has quashed the life sentence of a man convicted under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act in a case involving a 17-year-old. The court's decision comes over a decade after the conviction.
The court advocated for introducing a 'Romeo-Juliet' clause in Indian law, which would shield consensual relationships between minors and adults from criminal prosecution under POCSO. The man, now 35, and the woman involved, now 31, have since married different partners.
The judgment underscores ongoing judicial debate about proportionality in POCSO convictions and the need for legal provisions distinguishing consensual relationships from actual abuse.
