Cabinet also gives nod for 49% FDI in defence, opens gate for FDI in railway infrastructure sector
The Union Cabinet on Wednesday cleared the amendment to the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act 2000 according to which 16-year-old juveniles accused of heinous crimes could be tried by a regular court instead of the Juvenile Justice Board. The Cabinet also approved raising of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) limit in the defence sector to 49 per cent and opened up the railway infrastructure segment for FDI.
The decisions were taken at the Cabinet meeting headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, sources said. The amended Juvenile Justice Act will empower the JJ Board to send a juvenile who is 16 and above to face trial before a court in cases where a heinous offence of rape or murder is committed. But the Bill states, “In no case the juvenile involved in a heinous crime will be sentenced to death or life imprisonment either when tried under the provisions of the JJ Act or under the provisions of the IPC”. The Bill will now be tabled in Parliament for approval.
Under the prevailing system, a juvenile in conflict with law, irrespective of any crime committed, is tried by the Board. The juvenile could at best be sent to an observation home for the maximum term of three years as it occurred in the case of the juvenile accused in the Delhi gangrape case which had evoked nationwide outrage.
The move by the Government has come in the wake of demand to strengthen laws in order to curb crimes against women. An earlier attempt was made by individuals and organisations seeking re-look at the Juvenile Justice Act by filing of petitions in the Supreme Court.
In May this year, a three-judge Bench rejected two petitions filed by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy and parents of the Delhi gangrape victim, to try juveniles accused of heinous offences as adults. Meanwhile, the FDI ceiling in the sensitive defence sector has been hiked to 49 per cent from current 26 per cent, with the condition that control in joint ventures for manufacturing of defence equipment will remain in Indian hands.
The move is aimed at boosting the domestic industry, which imports up to 70 per cent of its military hardware. In relation to the railways, the Cabinet approved allowing 100 per cent FDI in areas such as high-speed train systems, suburban corridors and dedicated freight line projects implemented in PPP mode.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in his Budget speech for 2014-15 had announced plans to increase FDI in the defence sector and open up the cash-starved Government-owned railways. The Cabinet today gave approval to the announcements made in the Budget.