some common objectives include:

1. Law Reform: Law Commissions are often tasked with reviewing existing laws and identifying areas where reform is necessary. They may propose changes to outdated or ineffective laws and regulations.

2. Legal Research: They conduct legal research to analyze complex legal issues and provide expert advice to the government and lawmakers.

3. Drafting Legislation: Law Commissions may draft new legislation or amend existing laws to address emerging legal challenges and societal needs.

4. Consultation: They often engage in consultations with stakeholders, including legal professionals, academics, and the public, to gather input and feedback on proposed legal reforms.

5. Reports and Recommendations: Law Commissions produce reports and recommendations that are submitted to the government or relevant authorities. These reports serve as a basis for legislative action.

• The LCI report traces the historical origins of the age of consent in law, through to the contentious positions relating to POCSO.
• Positions are divided between retaining the age of consent at 16 with close-in-age exceptions for consensual sexual activity between peers, as against a blunt increase in the age of consent to 18, which was adopted by POCSO.
• The report outlines approaches adopted in the US, Canada, Japan, Australia and South Africa, all of which have lower ages of consent and additionally, protect adolescents from shame and stigma for consensual sexual activity through close-in-age exceptions.
• Its stakeholder consultations were limited, missing inputs from public health experts, gynaecologists, child psychologists, counsellors, and shelter homes, who, as first responders, offer valuable insights
• The LCI recommendations favour retaining the age of consent at 18 years, to criminalise both abuse and non-coercive consensual sex, even when this occurs between peers
• By way of mitigation, it recommends judicial discretion to award less than the mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and provides guidelines for determining types of cases that are befitting of sentence reduction. The proposed mitigation is flawed on three counts
• First, the “close-in age” exception operates at the sentencing stage, so consensual sexual activity with a minor between 16 and 18, even where the accused is not more than three years apart, remains an offence
• Second, a new term, “tacit approval”, is introduced to replace “consent”. Consent is defined in law, backed by jurisprudence. Consent to medical examination is recognised for victims of sexual assault who are 12 years and above in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare guidelines
• Third, a checklist of circumstances to guide whether or not exemption operates is provided.

• The age of consent refers to the age at which an individual is considered legally competent to engage in sexual activity and provide informed consent to engage in sexual acts.
• It is a critical legal concept that varies from one jurisdiction to another and can have significant implications for both criminal law and the protection of minors.
• The judicial references called for reviewing the criteria for the age of consent to sexual activity, to mitigate the “gross injustice in cases of statutory rape where de facto consent is present”.
• The increase in the age of consent from 16 to 18 years with the enactment of the POCSO ACT, 2012, has magnified the volume of prosecutions against adolescents engaged in non-coercive consensual sexual activity with devastating outcomes, primarily for adolescents and youth from marginalised populations.
• The age of consent is not uniform worldwide and can vary widely depending on the country or even within different regions or states of a country.
• In many countries, the age of consent is typically set by law and is intended to protect individuals, particularly minors, from sexual exploitation and abuse.

• The Law Commission has argued that lowering the age of consent would make it easier for adults to have sex with minors, even if the minors are willing participants. This is because adults would be able to claim that the minor consented to the sexual activity, even if the minor did not give full and informed consent
• Different regions or countries may have varying cultural and societal norms regarding sexual activity and the age at which individuals are considered capable of giving consent. Recommendations from a Law Commission may not be universally accepted or may face resistance in culturally diverse societies.
•  Law Commission recommendations can become a matter of political debate and contention. Politicians may resist changes to the age of consent laws for various reasons, including concerns about voter backlash or differing personal beliefs.
• Age of consent laws are designed to protect vulnerable populations, particularly minors, from sexual exploitation and abuse. Recommendations must balance the need to protect these individuals while respecting the rights and autonomy of older teenagers.