Consensual POCSO Cases Can't Be Quashed Until Government Clarifies Stand On Adolescent Love: Bombay High Court

The Bombay High Court at Aurangabad recently refused to quash a criminal case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 (POCSO Act) against a 27-year-old man accused of engaging in a consensual relationship with a 17-year-old girl. The bench comprising Justice Vibha Kankanwadi and Justice Sanjay Deshmukh emphasized that courts should refrain from taking a lenient view on such matters unless the Central Government provides clear guidance…