MP Manoj Tiwari will bring private member bill, proposal to reduce juvenile age for heinous crimes

In view of the increasing heinous crimes committed by minors in the country, Delhi BJP MP Manoj Tiwari has started preparations for major changes in the Juvenile Justice Act. BJP Tiwari on Friday (December 5) announced that he will introduce a private member’s bill in the Lok Sabha to propose an amendment to the Juvenile Justice Act, 2015, to reduce the juvenile age limit from 18 to 14 years. They argue that the incidence of criminals aged 15–17 years being involved in murder, gang violence and serious crimes is on the rise—and the existing law is not ensuring adequate punishment in such cases.

Tiwari said, “Children up to 17 years of age are considered juveniles. But I am continuously seeing—from the Nirbhaya case to recent cases—criminals aged between 15 and 17 are increasing. There are many instances where a child committed three murders, went to a reform home and came out and killed again. So we are proposing that the age of juvenile for heinous crimes be raised to 14 years.”

He said that he has been studying this issue for a long time and selects only those serious issues which should be raised in Parliament through private bills. In Gurugram, a 17-year-old student shot his own classmate with his father’s licensed pistol. The accused and his accomplice, both juveniles, were arrested within hours.

On October 10, a youth was stabbed and seriously injured in a fight between gang-affiliated teenagers in Patel Nagar. In this case, Delhi Police arrested 3 minors, who were wanted on charges of attempt to murder. According to the police, the fight took place at Sharda Electrical, Baljeet Nagar, where the injured were taken to hospital and were not in a position to give a statement. Enumerating all these cases, Tiwari said that many serious crimes in the country are being committed by such children, in whom, due to their age, they do not get the same punishment as adult criminals.

After this proposal of Tiwari, a big national discussion on the juvenile justice system is likely to start. Under current law, juveniles aged 16–18 can be tried as adults only for the most heinous crimes, and that too with the permission of the Juvenile Justice Board.

If the proposed amendment is introduced, it would establish the lowest legal age limit in cases of heinous crimes in India, which is sure to spark wide debate among law, psychology and child-protection experts. Tiwari said that their aim is to stop crime and provide justice to the victims, and not to punish any child with unnecessary harshness. The bill is likely to be introduced in the winter session, which will be intensely discussed at both the political and legal levels.

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