18-05-2025
Juvenile offenders will be reformed, rehabilitated: Min
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Ranchi: Chairing a comprehensive conference-cum-consultative meet on Juvenile Justice (JJ) Act and related laws on Sunday at the Judicial Academy, Union minister Annapurna Devi emphasized on a compassionate approach towards children in conflict with laws adding that their reform and rehabilitation should be the priority.
The JJ board and
child welfare committee
members, police officials and child welfare experts were also present on the occasion.
The Union minister said, "Foundation of a sensitive and empowered society is laid only after we provide justice, protection and respect to children. The JJ Act not only protects rights of child but also helps them lead a respectful life through rehabilitation." Jharkhand high court judge Justice Anubha Rawat Choudhary stated that young individuals are not criminals to be punished or burdens to be managed.
They are children caught in complex webs of trauma, neglect, poverty or violence.
She said, "Juvenile justice must remain restorative not retributive. One of the most humane evolution in legal philosophy is the shift from viewing child offenders as perpetrators deserving punishment to recognizing them as individuals with immense potential for transformation."
Justice Rawat said that when the child is tried as an adult in the court, the latter is not only a forum for adjudication but also a guardian of the child's long-term interest.
She said that even if the child is found in conflict with law the order must have a comprehensive individual care plan.
Taking part in the meeting, deputy secretary of the department of women and child development Abhay Nandan Abastha said the govt is planning to expand the capacity of the observation homes in the state adding that a place of safety for children has started functioning in Simdega district.
