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16-yr-olds will now be tried as adults in heinous crimes
The Indian parliament has passed a bill which allows juveniles between 16 and 18 years of age to be tried as adults for serious crimes like rape or murder. They had met Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi in the morning seeking their support to ensure that the bill gets passed.
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The release last Sunday of the teenager involved in the 2012 gang rape sparked street protests by students and the victim’s mother, Asha Devi.
The much talked-about Juvenile Justice Bill was passed in the Parliament yesterday. Soon after the Bill was passed, Maneka welcomed the move and said that she is happy with the development.
India’s Parliament approved amendments to the country’s long-standing juvenile law on Tuesday, paving the way for the prosecution of suspects, as young as 16 to18 years old, to be tried as adults if they are accused of such “heinous crimes”.
Nirbhaya’s parents Asha Devi and Badrinath were present in the visitors’ gallery as the Rajya Sabha took up the bill for discussion.
The release triggered widespread calls led by the victims’ parents for amendments to an existing law which critics said was too weak. The board will decide if a juvenile is to be sent for rehabilitation or tried as an adult.
Leader of opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad recalled how the age of juvenile offender was fixed at 16 years during Rajiv Gandhi’s term as PM and later during NDA-I, it was increased to 18.
Jahgirdar said Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) of 2012 was misused against male juveniles.
“We may not be able to do anything about the juvenile convict in the Nirbhaya case but we can deter many other boys from doing so”, Gandhi pleaded. The Left parties wanted it sent to a select committee so that there was no haste in amending the law under emotional pressure. The bill was passed through voice vote after that. He also claimed that during the times of Shivaji, no one would commit such crimes as their hands and legs were broken and the law should allow a modern democracy like India to do the same.
“They shouldn’t be kept in the same cell with hardened criminals for the fear that they could turn out even worse than they were”, he said.
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(4) A juvenile, if convicted of a heinous crime, will not be sent to an adult jail but will be put in a children’s jail till the age of 21.