New Delhi: In a significant move, Women and Child Development Ministry has proposed that juveniles above 16 years of age involved in heinous crimes like murder or gang-rape should be tried as adults under the Indian Penal Code.
The proposal is part of a draft note being prepared by the Women and Child Development (WCD) ministry for Cabinet nod, sources said here.
“The proposal is expected to be finalised in next few days,” they added.
The proposal is significant given that the juvenile involved in the December 16 gang-rape got away with very light punishment despite the victim declaring him as most gruesome among all the perpetrators. If passed, the new WCD proposal to amend the existing law will deny protection to the juveniles aged between 16-18 years under the Juvenile Justice Act.
The decision comes almost a year after the role of the juvenile in the December 16 gang-rape case sparked off a debate over lowering the age limit for juveniles involved in heinous crimes and trying them under the provisions of the Indian Penal Code applicable for adults.
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