Government lists Juvenile Bill in Rajya Sabha tomorrow, hopes for its passage

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court has rejected a plea against release of the juvenile offender in the December 16 gang-rape case, following which the Rajya Sabha got ready to pass the bill on Tuesday. There were demands inside and outside Parliament for passage of the bill that seeks to lower the age defining juvenile from 18 to 16 years at the earliest.

The bill, which was with the select committee of the RS till recently, however, will have no effect on the juvenile offender as it will not have retrospective effect like most laws.

The NDA government said that the amendments to Juvenile Justice Act that will allow children between 16-18 years to be tried as adults in heinous cases would come up before the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday as protests against release of the juvenile convict continued at Jantar Mantar. The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Amendment Act, 2014, has already been passed by the Lok Sabha.

Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said "the government is ready and very keen to pass this juvenile bill", as a demand for expeditious passage was made in the Rajya Sabha. Parliament’s winter session concludes on Wednesday. Derek O’Brien of Trinamool Congress said he had given a notice under Rule 267 seeking suspension of business in the Rajya Sabha and taking up the bill on Tuesday. He said the House had only three days to go before end of the winter session but the government’s listed agenda included commercial courts, arbitration and real estate bill. He pointed out that the government had not even listed the juvenile bill for discussion and passing.

"It is incumbent upon the House to listen to what is going on outside," he said during zero hour, asking the House to rise above politics. "It is not a perfect bill but let us list it and pass the bill," O’Brien said. Minister of state for parliamentary affairs MA Naqvi claimed the bill was listed on December 8, 10 and 11. "We have listed it for tomorrow," he said, adding if all agree the bill can be taken up for discussion on Monday itself.

Outside Parliament, Prasad targeted Congress, saying: "The bill was thrice listed in the past for consideration and passage in Rajya Sabha but the House has not been able to run."

Opposition Leader of the Rajya Sabha countered him by saying the government was playing "brazen mischief" by proposing to bring the unlisted juvenile bill in Rajya Sabha to "defame the opposition" and divert attention from DDCA issue. "Let them not do this mischief. This is a total brazen mischief on the part of the government…This is only to divert the attention of the opposition from raising other issues, about DDCA," Azad said.