Adolescent behaviour experts and child rights activists have welcomed the Supreme Court’s verdict striking down the plea to reduce the age of juvenile from 18 to 16
years and dismissing the plea that minors involved in heinous crimes should not be protected under the law.
The decision was taken, following the alleged involvement of the minor in the December 16 gangrape case, after which PILs were filed in the apex court pleading that the Act should be amended and a minor, involved in heinous crimes, should not be protected under the law.
However, the plea in the apex court was opposed by various child activists, including former chairman of Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights (DCPCR) Amod Kanth, who is also General Secretary Prayas Juvenile Aid Centre (JAC) Society.
“Following the Delhi gangrape which resulted in the death of a 23-year-old physiotherapy student, a demand has been raised by different sections of society that the juvenile age be lowered to 16 and that juveniles be tried as adults for severe offences but we oppose this dilution of the Juvenile Justice Act and reduction of age,” said Mr Amod K. Kanth.
The SC accepted the Intervenor’s Petition filed by Mr. Amod K. Kanth while dismissing the petitions filed for the changes in the JJ Act and asking for reduction in the age of child/juvenile u/s 2(K)&(L) of the said Act.
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MHA aims to isolate Ulfa chief Baruah
MANOJ ANAND
Guwahati, July 17
The home ministry has embarked upon a strategy to isolate the elusive Ulfa chief Paresh Baruah by giving more teeth to ongoing peace-talks with a faction of Ulfa besides roping in more and more old Ulfa cadres into peace-process.
Disclosing that strategy of the home ministry has yielded positive response, security sources pointed out that apart from arresting and handing over top insurgent leaders, Dhaka has also agreed to extradite Ulfa general secretary Anup Chetia. Admitting that peace-talk with Naga insurgent groups was equally important in containing the subversive activities of Ulfa from its mobile headquarters in Burma in Assam, security sour-ces said that strengthening of intelligence network in Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh has also helped security forces in foiling most of the subversive plans of Ulfa. Pointing out that except a few big businessmen and corporate houses who are donating fund directly to Ulfa chief Paresh Baruah through some conduits, security sources said that majority of small and medium businessmen have started ignoring the extortion demand of Ulfa.