Overview

• A bench of Justices B.V. Nagarathna and R. Mahadevan said NCPCR had no locus standi and also rejected similar petitions concerning puberty-based marriages.
• The judges declined to decide the larger conflict between personal law and child-protection statutes, directing that such questions be raised in an appropriate case.
• The court urged police and prosecutors to distinguish consensual adolescent relationships from POCSO crimes and cautioned against parental misuse that can trigger honour violence.
• With the dismissal, a January 2023 instruction that the Punjab and Haryana High Court ruling not be treated as precedent effectively came to an end.
• The Union government has told the court it opposes lowering the age of consent from 18, highlighting ongoing tension with personal-law practices.