Supreme Court Questions Feasibility of Preventing Adolescent Elopements in POCSO Cases

The Supreme Court of India raised pointed questions about whether authorities can realistically prevent teenage boys and girls from eloping. The bench was hearing a suo motu case focused on the right to privacy of adolescents. The court's remarks came in the context of growing concerns over the misuse of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. In several instances, the law has been invoked by families against consensual relationships involving adolescents. The court's intervention signals a broader judicial examination of how POCSO is being applied in such cases.