The recommendations were prepared following the Supreme Court’s directions to address rising minor pregnancies and concerns over consensual adolescent relationships being prosecuted under POCSO.
The Centre on Tuesday informed the Supreme Court that it is agreeable to introduce comprehensive sex education in schools and colleges across the country and will implement the recommendations of an expert committee once it receives the court’s approval.
Appearing before the bench, Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Aishwarya Bhati said the Central government has accepted the committee’s report and is prepared to roll it out nationwide after the Supreme Court gives its nod.
The development came during the hearing of a suo motu case examining ways to address the growing number of cases where consensual relationships between adolescents end up being prosecuted under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
Child Sexual Abuse, Consent to Be Part of Core Curriculum
According to the Centre, a 26-member national expert committee headed by an Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Women and Child Development was constituted to examine issues related to adolescents’ right to privacy in consensual relationships, particularly in the context of the POCSO Act.
The committee has recommended introducing comprehensive sex education as part of the core curriculum in schools and colleges. The proposed curriculum would include modules on child sexual abuse, awareness, protection, consent, and age-appropriate sexual health education, with the aim of equipping children and adolescents with accurate information and helping them identify abuse.
ASG Bhati told the court that the government has accepted the report and would implement it across the country once the Supreme Court approves the recommendations.
The report was prepared in compliance with an earlier direction from the apex court, which had asked the Centre to explore measures to prevent increasing instances of minor pregnancies and consensual adolescent relationships from being automatically criminalised under the POCSO Act.
Supreme Court Raises Concerns Over POCSO in Adolescent Relationships
The hearing is part of a broader discussion initiated by the Supreme Court on whether the POCSO Act is being applied too mechanically in cases involving consensual relationships between teenagers.
Justice B V Nagarathna, who has repeatedly raised concerns on the issue, observed during earlier hearings that adolescence, particularly between the ages of 15 and 18, is often a period of emotional and social experimentation. The court questioned whether every such case should automatically be treated as an offence under the POCSO Act.
The bench had also noted that parents sometimes resort to criminal proceedings after teenage couples elope, effectively using the law in situations that may not involve sexual exploitation.
In August 2025, Justice Nagarathna had similarly urged law enforcement agencies to “keep the reality of society in mind” and avoid invoking the POCSO Act mechanically in cases of genuine adolescent romance. She had said police should exercise discretion and assess each case on its own facts instead of treating all consensual teenage relationships as criminal offences.
