Under-18 girl’s consent for sex invalid, rules HC

Is a 16-year-old girl “mentally and physically fit” to give consent for sex? A Lucknow bench judge of the Allahabad high court questioned provisions of an 1860 law that permits this, terming them “outdated and invalid”. Justice VD Chaturvedi sent notices to the Union and state governments to take a fresh look at the law, which “was to suit the then British rulers”. The issue came up before the court last Friday on an appeal by a man convicted of raping a 17-year-old.