Early puberty due to social media & Internet, MP HC urges Centre to reduce age of consent to 16 yrs from 18 in rape case

The Madhya Pradesh High Court has requested Centre to consider decreasing the age of consent to 16 from 18 in rape cases to avoid injustice caused to adolescent boys since puberty, the court said, had advanced to 14 years owing to social media and easy access to Internet and girls and boys above this age were engaging in consensual physical relationship. “Nowadays, every male and female near the age of 14 years, due to social media awareness and easily accessible internet connectivity is getting puberty at an early age. Owing to this, female and male children are getting attracted to each other and these attractions are resulting in a physical relationship with consent,” the HC said. “In these cases, male persons are not at all criminals. It is only a matter of age when they come into contact with female and develop physical relationships,” the court added. The HC also observed how the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act of 2013 had ‘disturbed’ the fabric of society since it increased the age of consent for girls to 18 from 16 years, leading to boys being criminalised. The court was hearing the matter of a 23-year-old man charged under Sections 376 and the POCSO Act. Read all the  Latest News,  Trending News,  Cricket News,  Bollywood News, India News and  Entertainment News here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.