New Delhi: Lok Sabha on Thursday passed a bill that provides for trying juveniles aged between 16 and 18 years for heinous crimes under laws for adults, with the government insisting that it had tried to strike a “fine balance” to ensure that no injustice was done to innocent children.
The central government had on Wednesday moved the amendment to the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Bill 2014 keeping in mind the increasing number of serious offences being committed by teenagers in the 16-18 years’ age group.
The legislation, which replaces the existing Juvenile Justice Act 2000, clearly defines and classifies offences as petty, serious and heinous, and defines differentiated processes for each category.
The amendment bill further reinforces these principles through introduction of a new provision that disallows the protection from disqualification in cases where a juvenile is tried and convicted under the adult system.
The Ministry of Women and Child Development had introduced the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Bill 2014 in the Lok Sabha in August 2014.
The bill had been referred to the standing committee which had recommended keeping the juvenile age at 18 years. Moves to amend the juvenile justice act had begun immediately after the December 16, 2012, gang-rape of a young girl in a moving bus in Delhi in which one of the culprits was a juvenile.
Bureau Report
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