Author(s): Dr. Prashant Krishan and Amar Tiwari

Abstract: The misuse of First Information Reports (FIRs) involving teenage love and religious conversion highlights a critical tension between protective laws and individual autonomy in India. While FIRs are intended to initiate the criminal justice process for genuine offences, they are increasingly deployed by parents and third parties to control consensual interfaith relationships, often invoking the IPC, POCSO Act, and state anti-conversion laws. This paper critically examines the sociological, legal, and constitutional dimensions of such FIRs, revealing how they undermine fundamental rights to liberty, equality, and religious freedom guaranteed under Articles 14, 21, and 25. Through analysis of landmark judgments and empirical cases, it argues that criminal law is misused for moral policing and social conformity. The paper proposes reforms, including a close-in-age exception under POCSO and stricter checks on third-party FIRs, to align legal practice with constitutional morality and safeguard the evolving autonomy of youth in intimate matters.

Pages: 12-19 | Views: 700 | Downloads: 538

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