Bhubaneswar, April 27 -- The Orissa High Court has expressed concerns over the misuse of the provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 (POCSO Act), especially by way of prosecution of young males in cases of mutual adolescent romantic relationships.

The Single Bench of Justice Sibo Sankar Mishra allowed a batch of petitions praying to quash criminal proceedings under the stringent legislation.

According to Live Law, the bench observed, "The POCSO Act was enacted with the ultimate objective of prohibiting non-consensual and forced sexual relationships with children, including child sexual abuse and sexual harassment. While the stringent provisions of the POCSO Act have contributed positively to reducing inst...