Assistant Professor Ms. Tulip Suman, along with students from KIIT School of Law, actively participated in the National Seminar on “Changing Contours of POCSO Liabilities” organized at B.J.B. Autonomous College on 7–8 March 2026.
The KIIT School of Law delegation presented three insightful research papers examining the evolving legal challenges under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. Ms. Tulip Suman and Ashwin Sekhran proposed integrating the concept of Gillick Competency within a sentencing-based Romeo–Juliet framework to address consensual adolescent relationships. Nigamananda Sahoo and Aaratrika Das presented a jurisprudential analysis on the scope and necessity of close-in-age exceptions within the POCSO regime. Sonal Agrawal and Deebanjali Kumari explored judicial responses to adolescent relationships and highlighted the importance of incorporating age proximity discretion in adjudication.
The seminar served as a valuable platform for academic exchange, enabling participants to engage with scholars, policymakers, and legal experts on the pressing need to balance child protection with adolescent autonomy. The discussions also emphasized the importance of developing a more nuanced and context-sensitive legislative approach to address contemporary challenges under the POCSO framework.
