An analysis of the behaviour of juvenile inmates involved in criminal activities has revealed that they have been taking undue advantage of Section 23 of the Juvenile Justice Act.
As per the provision of section 23 of the JJ Act, if a juvenile lodges a complaint of assault against an official, a case will be registered without any enquiry and the person concerned would be arrested immediately. This is the prime reason officials of Sewa Kutir, where two dozen juveniles ran amok for hours recently, did not dare to go near the inmates fearing implication in false cases. The superintendent of Adharshila Observation Home situated in Sewa Kutir, Anil Kumar, said that all the juveniles lodged in the observation centre were aware of Section 23 of the JJ Act and they misused it.
“During the day-long violence at the home, they also kept staff of the welfare department hostage. We could not stop and talk to them. They misuse the section, under which the accused may be punished with imprisonment for six months, or fine, or both,” he said.
Kumar added, “One of the inmates at Sewa Kutir lodged a complaint against Dr BM Sharma and his ward boy, Pradeep Kumar, after the doctor administered an injection to treat the juvenile who had high fever. But as the juvenile resisting being administered an injection, he filed a complaint against them. Consequently, the doctor and his helper were arrested,” he said, adding that the case is still pending in court.
The spate of such incidents have scared the employees of the correction homes who have decided to write to the Department of Social Welfare for their transfer. Meanwhile, employees of juvenile homes also blamed relatives and friends of inmates for supplying drugs like “nitro-vite” to them. “Two months ago, the staff found drugs hidden the undergarments of a woman visitor. She had come to see her son at the observation home,” said the source.