The Centre’s move to lower the age of juveniles from 18 to 16 years for making them accountable as adult offenders of heinous crimes likes rapes and murders bears credence in the face of the latest report brought out by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), which shows a 60. 3 per cent increase in rapes committed by juveniles last year.
Highest incidents of crime against women were reported under assault to outrage her modesty which grew by 132.3 per cent, followed by insult to the modesty of women which witnessed a growth of 70.5 per cent. The recent crime statistics from the NCRB pertain to 2013.
Among the total juveniles apprehended under IPC, 66.3 per cent belonged to the age group of 16-18 years. A total of 31,725 criminal cases involving juveniles were reported last year in comparison to 27,936 cases reported in 2012- an increase of 13.6 per cent.
last year, the highest number of juveniles were apprehended for thefts (7,969) followed by hurt (6,043) and burglaries (3,784). These heads taken together accounted for 40.9 per cent of total juveniles apprehended under IPC crimes.
Out of the total juveniles (43,506) involved in various crimes, 8,392 were illiterate and 13,984 had education up to primary level.
These two categories together accounted for 51.9 per cent of the total juveniles arrested during the year 2013. A large number of juveniles (50.2 per cent) belonged to the poor families whose annual income was up to Rs 25,000.
Children living with parents (35,244 persons) have accounted for 81.0 per cent of the total juveniles apprehended for committing various crimes during 2013.
Minister for Women and Child Development Maneka Gandhi had favoured treating juveniles accused of heinous crimes like rape on par with adult offenders.
She said 50 per cent of all sexual crimes were committed by “16-year-olds who know the Juvenile Justice Act so they can do it.” “But now for premeditated murder, rape, if we bring them into the purview of the adult world, then it will scare them,” she had said.
Former WCD Minister Krishna Tirath during the previous UPA regime had proposed that juveniles above 16 years guilty of heinous crimes be treated on par with adult offenders.
The move was, however, opposed by various NGOs and National Commission of Protection of Child Rights which stated that such a proposal was against child rights.
Nevertheless, on August 12, a comprehensive bill to tackle increasing crimes committed by youngsters between 16-18 years of age was introduced in the lok Sabha.
The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Bill, 2014 proposes to repeal the law enacted in 2000 and provides for care and protection of children, their rehabilitation and offences committed against children, among other things.
The changes envisaged in the law come against the backdrop of outrage over the lighter punishment of three years in a reform home given to the minor convicted in the December 16, 2012 Delhi gangrape case.
However, according to the Bill, in no case the juvenile involved in a heinous crime would be sentenced to death or life imprisonment either when tried under the provisions of JJ Act or under the provisions of IPC.