Over 200 Activists, Lawyers and Community Leaders Sign Declaration Opposing Lowering of Age of Consent to 16 at Major Event in Delhi Supported by Sewa Nyaya Utthan

New Delhi, August 7, 2026: More than 200 representatives and leaders from diverse sections of society gathered at the Constitution Club of India, New Delhi, on Friday, August 7, for a National Consultation on the age of consent under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and unanimously signed a Declaration opposing any proposal to lower the statutory age of consent from 18 to 16 years.

The event was organised by the Network for Access to Justice and Multidisciplinary Outreach Foundation (NAMO Foundation), with Sewa Nyaya Utthan Foundation (SNU) and Dharmansh Foundation as Support Partners.

The event brought together senior representatives from child and women’s commissions, including heads of Child Commissions from Assam, Chandigarh, Gujarat, Delhi, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh and Tripura, as well as heads of Women Commissions from Tripura and Uttar Pradesh.

Panchayat leaders, child and women safety activists, jurists, researchers, medical professionals, psychologists, policymakers and civil society representatives also participated in the deliberations.

It was led by Priyank Kanoongo, who participated as the Chief Guest and key speaker. SNU founders Sanjeev Newar and Swati Goel Sharma were also main speakers.

The event also saw the release of ‘Report 2.0: Beyond the Debate: Age of Consent in India – The Road Ahead‘, prepared by NAMO Foundation.

Following detailed deliberations on the legal, constitutional, social, medical, psychological and policy implications of lowering the age of consent, participants signed the Declaration and resolved to take the issue beyond policy and legal forums and launch a public awareness campaign at the grassroots.

After the discussion and release of the report, a media interaction was organised at the Press Club of India where speakers highlighted the growing risks faced by adolescents, including grooming, emotional manipulation, coercion, trafficking, online exploitation, sextortion, AI-enabled abuse and unequal power relationships. Also present at the interaction was a real-life survivor of sexual grooming who said she was against the idea of lowering age of consent as children may not immediately recognise grooming, manipulation, coercion or exploitation and may only understand the abusive nature of a relationship later.

The speakers emphasised that difficulties in implementation of POCSO cannot become a justification for weakening the law. The focus, they said, must instead be on strengthening institutions, improving judicial sensitivity and creating better awareness and protection mechanisms.

SNU’s sustained legal intervention and public awareness against lowering the age of consent

Sewa Nyaya Utthan Foundation has been actively involved in opposing attempts to lower the statutory age of consent and has pursued the issue before the Supreme Court of India.

SNU began its campaign after a proposal to lower the age of consent under rape laws was raised by senior advocate Indira Jaising in a Supreme Court matter in July 2025.

SNU founders filed their own intervention in the matter and, with NAMO Foundation as partner, subsequently enabled 10 additional interventions in the case.

The matter – Nipun Saxena Vs Union of India – has not come up for hearing since those interventions.

SNU and NAMO Foundation subsequently intervened again after a Supreme Court Bench made an observation describing the age group of 15–18 as an “age of experimentation” in a case involving a 25-year-old man and a 15-year-old girl. SNU has sought to assist the Court in examining the wider legal, constitutional and social implications of lowering the age of consent.

The next hearing in that matter is expected on August 11, 2026.

Taking the campaign to the grassroots

The August 7 consultation marked an important expansion of the campaign from legal and policy forums to grassroots public awareness.

The participants collectively resolved to take the message to villages and communities and build wider public understanding of the risks associated with weakening statutory safeguards for children.

SNU will continue to work with civil society organisations, child-rights stakeholders, community leaders and other institutions to strengthen awareness and advocacy on the issue.

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