A Critical Study On The Juvenile Justice Act, 2015

Vandita Jain, LLM, Manipal University, Jaipur & Dr. Vijaylakshmi Sharma, Professor and Director, School of Law, Manipal University, Jaipur

ABSTRACT

India is a country where more than one-third of the populace is under the age of eighteen. Despite the fact that children are considered useful future members of the country, some youngsters in the society are at risk of not living up to the expectations of a typical existence. ‘Juvenile delinquency’ is a term used to describe such children. In the United States, juvenile delinquency is a significant offence that has a negative impact on social order in the country. The savage assault and rape episode that occurred on “16 December 2012 in Delhi, in which one of the suspects was a juvenile, sparked a raging debate about the appropriateness in India, to lower the age of criminal responsibility for juveniles. The Justice JS Verma Committee was established to alter criminal laws and analyze the deficiencies in the existing criminal law controlling sexual abuse against women in India. The committee was chaired by Justice JS Verma. Juvenile justice (care and protection of children) Act 2000 was amended as a result of this, and the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act 2015” was enacted to address certain parts of juvenile justice that are regarded unclear and unsettling in nature. The Act of 2015 is intended to promote beneficial behavioral changes in children following rehabilitation rather than alienation from their families. The purpose of this paper is to outline the causes of delinquency and the difficulties that the Act 2015 has encountered, followed by recommendations that will aid in the improvement of juvenile legislation and the condition of juveniles in the country.

Keywords: juvenile deliquency, juvenile justice act, juveniles, henious offences, child conflict with law, child in need of care and protection