When the judgment in the Nirbhaya rape case came out, there was a huge uproar among the masses and the media over the sentence given to the minor involved in the case. The boy who was referred to as “nabalig" along the course of the trial was the one accused of committing the most gruesome acts in the events that took place on that fateful December night.

His actions were such that shocked the nation and people involved in the case beyond belief. The public outrage following the trial was a result of the court’s decision to send the boy to a juvenile home for only 27 months, the reason being the boy’s status of a minor.

A lot of people argued aggressively that despite the accused being a minor, the court should have taken into consideration the gruesome nature of the crime committed by him. The public anger and the media storm that followed called for the boy to be punished just as others convicted in the case were.

Legal experts and media panels discussed the possibility as well as the need for reviewing the juvenile laws in the country and making changes necessary. Following this, the Juvenile Justice (Care and Development for Children) Bill was drafted in 2014 by Women and Children Development Minister Maneka Gandhi.

Source: News East West

The bill proposes that in cases of heinous crimes such as rape, murder, robbery, Kidnapping and drug trafficking, children falling between the age group of 16 to 18 can be tried by laws prescribed for adults in a regular court. This is something that has come under a lot of suspicion from legal bigwigs and rights groups, who are concerned about the possibility of such a law being misused. The reason for such a reaction is the risk of many children in the age bracket of 16 to 18 being detained and relatively harsh charges being pressed against them by the police.

Before making up our mind about the proposed act, it is necessary that we also pay attention towards those who might be victimized in case of the law being misused.

Source: Zee News