Juvenile Injustice? JJB Sends 29-Yr-Olds to Custody for 2005 Crime

In April 2019, a Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) in Delhi punished three 29-year-old men for sodomy which they had allegedly committed when they were 15. The JJB sentenced the three to be kept in protective custody in a ‘place of safety’ which is located in Majnu ka Tilla in Delhi for six months.

“The case is of the year 2005 when there were no provisions for keeping the juveniles in institution after they attain majority. Under the JJ Act there are provisions wherein juveniles can be awarded community service, counselling etc. In this particular case all three are already reformed, there are no criminal charges against them after alleged incident of sodomy. Then why did the JJB not look for other options to sentence them?”- Ashish Kumar, Child Rights Lawyer

The JJB’s objective is well-defined: to counsel and reform juveniles who are in conflict or at odds with the law, rather than punish them.