minor and minor consensual sex

Hi Fatima!

If the family presses rape charges on the boy, then under the POCSO Act, read with Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2016, which allows for a trial of a child aged 16/17 as an adult for heinous crimes, a 16 year old can thus be prosecuted and punished for engaging in a s*xual act with a minor (irrespective of the consent) for minimum 10 years of jail, which can extend to Life imprisonment.