Criminal Lawyer on Juvenile Age Limit

by Abhinav K. Digital Marketing Expert, Freelance

Save the childhood or punish the wrongdoers, it is a very complicated issue for courts while deciding about the sentence to a juvenile. Presently the juvenile age limit is 18 year in Indian constitution and in purview of rising crime and atrocities on women by young people below 18 years of age the lawmakers are compelled to review Juvenile Law and are planning to reduce the juvenile age limit from 18 to 16 years. Now, the question arises if children of the present era are getting matured much earlier to commit a heinous crime like rape, robbery and murder, then why not government lower down the adult age to 16 years for all legal activities like right to caste vote. According to Mr. Kislay Pandey- Criminal Lawyer - the Supreme Court of India, "Lowering the age limit in juvenile cases is not the solution of controlling the crime. We should need to focus on better nurturing of children both inside and outside of schools, we need to develop their discerning capabilities and inculcate moral values in their upbringing."

India had already signed in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child in early 90s. Although Article 1 of the CRC allows each acceding state to define the juvenile age limit but Article 37(a) disallows capital punishment and life imprisonment for perpetrators of law below 18 years of age. Similarly, International Convention on Civil and Political Rights another treaty which India oblige, states, "Sentence of death shall not be imposed for crimes committed by persons below eighteen years of age and shall not be carried out on pregnant women."

According to Mr. Kislay Pandey- Criminal Lawyer - the Supreme Court of India, " I further reiterate that lowering the age in juvenile justice is not a logical solution. Even a 12 or 13 year old child can commit a serious crime and it is not exception, society is changing and so are changing human values we rather need to focus on educating the children about crimes, illegal activities and what consequences they may encounter on a broader scale not just legal punishment or social boycott. In addition, we should also impart with them the benefits of clean and wholesome life and how it is important to live a respectful and happy life."