Law Commission finalises report on lowering age of consent to 16, online FIR filing
The Law Commission of India met on Wednesday to finalise its report on several issues, including simultaneous polls, minimum age of consent, and online FIR.
The Law Commission of India on Wednesday finalised a report on bringing down the minimum age of consent from 18 to 16 under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. Another recommendation for legislation enabling online filing of First Information Reports (FIRs) was also finalised by the Law Commission.
Ritu Raj Awasthi, Chairperson of the Law Commission of India, said that more work is required to be done to finalise the report on holding simultaneous polls in the country.
When asked about the report on ‘One Nation, One Election’, Awasthi said, “Some more work is required to be done and we are still in the process of finalising it”. He also refrained from providing a tentative date for the report on simultaneous polls.
After the finalisation of the recommendations on the issues, the 22nd Law Commission will be sending its reports to the Ministry of Law and Justice.
The Wednesday meeting of the Law Commission comes days after a high-level committee led by former President Ram Nath Kovind held its preliminary meeting to discuss the feasibility of holding simultaneous elections across the country. The panel discussed several aspects, including the possibility of a common voter ID card and electoral roll and the necessary modifications required in law.
The eight-member committee was announced by the Union government on September 2 to look into how simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha, state assemblies, municipalities and panchayats can be held in the country, a plan that could save money, but one that also involves many legal and procedural complications.
The idea of holding simultaneous polls was supported by the Law Commission in 2018, citing the burden of frequent elections and the need for a workable constitutional formula. The Election Commission of India too has said it supports the idea, emphasising logistical, financial and legal feasibility based on its analysis and historical precedent.
The opposition parties, however, vehemently opposed the idea arguing that holding simultaneous polls would inevitably help the incumbent government.
