Bengaluru: The Madras High Court said that in cases involving consensual relationships between teenagers, it is often “the young boy who ends up facing criminal consequences”, as it set aside a man’s conviction under the Bucso Act.
Justice N Malla of the Madurai High Court bench made the remarks while dealing with the case arising out of a relationship between two teenagers in Kanyakumari district of Tamil Nadu, where the girl was around 16 years old and the convict was around 17 years old at the time of the incident in 2018. According to the prosecution, the boy expressed his love for her and proposed marriage.
After filing a complaint, a special court convicted the boy under the Buxo Act and under Section 366 of the Islamic Penal Code for kidnapping a person and forcing him to marry.
The court sentenced him to 20 years in prison. The accused then filed an appeal before the Supreme Court.
“…In cases involving consensual relationships between teenagers, it is often the young boy who ultimately bears the consequences. “Under parental pressure, the girl may be forced to marry someone else, after which criminal proceedings are initiated against the boy under the Buxo Act, resulting in him being imprisoned for a long period,” Justice N Mala said in her order issued last month.
