DELHI: The observations were made while acquitting one Sandeep Paswan, facing trial for kidnapping and raping a minor girl who had eloped with him. The two had married at an Arya Samaj Mandir in Lucknow.According to the police, the 15-year-old girl had gone missing from her house in January 2011. Her father then reported the matter to the police on February 17, 2011 and an FIR was registered. The girl was found in August 2011 from a village in Uttar Pradesh where she was living with Sandeep as his wife. While absolving Sandeep of the charges, the court noted that it was clear from the girl’s testimony that she eloped with him as they were in love.
The court said, with the advent of cable television, internet and rapid changes in biological factors, children were getting exposed to knowledge about sex and marital relations at an early age.”With the result, cupid strikes them at an early age, before they attain majority…. Since parents are always opposed to such an alliance, may be rightly so, the loving couple elope,” the judge observed. The court said even boys in some cases become victims as they do not understand the consequences of their actions and are sometimes lured by the girl. “Such cases should be an eye opener for the worthy lawmakers of our country, who, I understand, are contemplating raising the age limit for consensual sex from 16 to 18 years. Gone are the days when a child of 16 or 17 years of age was ignorant about sex and the desire to have sex,” the judge said.The order comes on the heels of another judge, additional sessions judge Kamini Lau raising similar concerns.
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