Maneka Gandhi thanks opposition for passing Juvenile Justice Bill

NEW DELHI: Women and child development minister Maneka Gandhi on Tuesday thanked the Opposition for passing the much-expected Juvenile Justice Bill under which juveniles aged 16 years and above will now be tried under laws for adults for heinous crimes.

"This is a bill that everyone feels strongly about and I am happy that everyone supported it," Gandhi said as she stepped out of Parliament.

Congress leader Renuka Chaudhary said that her party was the architect of the bill in many ways and just wanted an intense debate on various aspects of the bill.

CPM leader Sitaram Yechury said the walkout by the Left parties was not in protest of the bill, but because they wanted the bill to go to a select committee so that all aspects are looked into.

"If tomorrow you catch hold of a young ISIS terrorist, you will say bring down the age by another two years. The question is not about the age but the kind of crime that has been committed," he said. Sitaram Yechury also questioned the government why recommendations made by Justice JS Verma committee on women safety were allegedly ignored in the bill.