New Delhi (Delhi) [India], December 6 (HBTV): Delhi BJP MP Manoj Tiwari on Friday said he will propose reducing the juvenile age under the Juvenile Justice Act, 2015 to 14 years for prosecution in cases involving heinous crimes, through a Private Member’s Bill in the Lok Sabha.
Tiwari said that children up to the age of 17 are currently treated as juveniles under the Juvenile Justice Act, 2015. He argued that recent cases — including the 2012 Nirbhaya case and several incidents reported in India and abroad — indicate an increase in serious crimes committed by adolescents aged between 15 and 17.
‘We propose to lower the juvenile age to 14 years because I know of examples where a child was responsible for three murders,’ he said. ‘He went to the correction centre, came back and still murdered. This definitely needs to be taken into consideration. After a lot of thought, I will introduce this issue through a Private Member’s Bill. I always look for very important matters for my private bills, and this is one of them. We don’t want criminals to get away with heinous crimes just because they are fifteen, sixteen or seventeen years old.’
The issue has gained attention following recent cases involving minors. In November, a 17-year-old student in Gurugram allegedly shot his schoolmate using his father’s licensed pistol. The accused and his friend, both juveniles, were detained within hours of the incident.
In October, Delhi Police arrested three juveniles wanted in an attempt to murder case in Patel Nagar. Police said the incident took place on October 10, when a member of a local gang attacked a rival with a knife, leaving the victim with serious injuries.
According to officials, information about the attack was received at Patel Nagar Police Station after a fight broke out at Sharda Electrical in Baljeet Nagar. Officers reached the spot and found that a group of boys had been involved in a scuffle during which one person was stabbed. The injured individual was taken to hospital and was declared unfit to record a statement.
(ANI)