AGE OF CONSENT AT 12: BENGAL - A HOT PLATE OF PUBLIC DEBATE

Abstract

This article examines the British colonial administration’s attempt in Bengal in 1891 to fix the age of consent which attracted considerable debate and opposition among the people. The Age of Consent Bill introduced in January 1891 sought to amend parts of the Indian Penal Code and the Code of Criminal Procedure to make the consummation of marriage before a girl reached the age of 12 a criminal offence. This was an effort by the British administration indirectly to raise the age of marriage in conservative Bengal society. The prescribed punishment for the offence was a fine and a prison sentence of ten years. The punishment could be enhanced to life imprisonment if the offence was deemed more serious. This article shows that while this was part of a broader effort at social reform, the haste with which the Bill was introduced in the legislative council and carried through filled the minds of a large section of the Bengalis with alarm over its impact on their socio-cultural values and norms and resulted in an outcry.