Kolkata, October 20: The Calcutta High Court on Wednesday, October 18, said that adolescent girls should control their sexual urges and that adolescent boys should respect young girls. The court's remarks came while it acquitted a young man who had been convicted of raping a minor girl with whom he was romantically involved.

The court was hearing a teenager's request against his conviction in a rape case, reported BarandBench. The teenager was last year sentenced to 20 years in prison by a sessions court for having sex with his minor romantic partner. ‘No Girl Will Level Fake Rape Charge in Indian Society’, Says Mumbai Court; Sentences Sex Assault Accused to 10 Years Rigorous Imprisonment.

The minor girl said in the court that she had physical relations with the man of her own will, and that she subsequently married him. She added that they did not know that age of consent for sex in India is 18 and their relationship was an offence as they belonged to rural area. HC on Unnatural Sex With Wife: Husband Not Liable for Rape Under IPC, Anything Beyond Natural Intercourse Cannot Be Labelled as ‘Unnatural Sex’, Says Madhya Pradesh High Court.

The bench, comprising Justices Chitta Ranjan Dash and Partha Sarathi Sen, raised concerns over the POCSO Act conflating consensual acts among adolescents with sexual abuse, called for comprehensive rights based on sexual education and eventually, made certain observations and suggestions for both boys and girls while giving its decision.

The bench said that sex among adolescents is normal but arousal of such urge is dependent on action by the individual, maybe a man or woman.

The court asked the young girls to protect their right to integrity of their bodies, as also their dignity and self-worth. It also said that every adolescent girl must control her sexual urges as “in the eyes of the society, she is the [loser] when she gives in to enjoy the sexual pleasure of hardly two minutes”.

The court added It added that boys should respect a girl's dignity and should train their minds to respect women.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 20, 2023 10:32 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).