Headlines
Juveniles in 16-18 age group to be tried as adults in heinous crimes
New Delhi, April 22
The union cabinet on
Wednesday approved amendments to the Juvenile Justice Act which paves
the way for children in the age group of 16-18 years to be tried as
adults if they commit heinous crimes.
The amendment to the
Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Bill 2014 was
approved at a meeting of the cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra
Modi.
"Keeping in view the increasing number of serious offences
being committed by persons in the age group of 16-18 years and
recognizing the rights of the victims as being equally important as the
rights of juveniles, special provisions were proposed to tackle heinous
offences committed by individuals in this age group," an official
statement said.
The proposed legislation, which would replace the
existing Juvenile Justice Act 2000, clearly defines and classifies
offences as petty, serious and heinous, and defines differentiated
processes for each category.
The statement said "this unique
instrument of a two-stage assessment or trial brings about a balance
that is sensitive to the rights of the child, protective of his
legitimate interests and yet conscious of the need to deter crimes,
especially brutal crimes against women".
"The proposed amendment
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," it
said.
"The amendments to the draft bill strike a fine balance
between the demands of the stakeholders asking for continued protection
of rights of juveniles and the popular demand of citizens in the light
of increasing incidence of heinous crimes by young boys".
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.
The
new legislation also proposes to streamline adoption procedures for
orphaned, abandoned and surrendered children. It establishes a statutory
status for the Child Adoption Resources Authority (CARA).
It
also proposes several rehabilitation and social integration measures for
institutional and non-institutional children and provide for
sponsorship and foster care as completely new measures.