Rajya Sabha takes up Juvenile Bill against the backdrop of 2012 Delhi gangrape

NEW DELHI: Rajya Sabha today took up the much-expected Juvenile Justice Bill against the backdrop of the 2012 gangrape-cum-murder, with the government seeking support of all the parties to the legislation to "deter many other boys" from doing such a crime.

Several parties, including NCP, CPI(M) and DMK, pushed for sending the bill to a Select Committee, arguing that further examination was required to decide whether the age for punitive action should be reduced to 16 years from the current level of 18 years.

Moving the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Bill for consideration and passage, Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi today said the legislation is "compassionate" and comprehensive in nature.

She said the juvenile crime is the fastest rising segment of the crime and "You cannot have a more comprehensive, more nuanced and compassionate Bill."

Reaching out to the main opposition, she reminded the Congress that the Bill was theirs and not hers or the NDA government.

"We may not be able to do anything about the juvenile convict in the Nirbhaya case but we can deter many other boys from doing so," she pleaded.

The bill was taken up against the backdrop of uproar over release of juvenile convict in the heinous gangrape-cum-murder of a 23-year-old girl on December 16, 2012. Parents of the victim have said that the convict could escape after spending three years in a correction home only because the law is weak.

Explaining the nuances of the bill, the Minister said no juvenile will be sent to the jail directly.

She said the Justice Board has experts and psycologists who will first decide whether the crime committed has been "child-like" or was it committed in an "adult frame of mind".

Gandhi said the juveniles will still have the power to appeal even if a court decides that they will go to an adult jail.

"If juvenile is sent to jail, they will be sent to a borstal until they are 21 years old, after which there will be a review," she said making it clear that they will still not be spending time with hardened criminals.