Juvenile Justice Boards are Indian quasi-judicial bodies that decide whether juveniles accused of a crime should be tried as an adult.[1][2]

History

Juvenile Justice Boards were formed by State Governments[3] under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015.[4][5]

Members on board and eligibility

Each Juvenile Justice Board consists of one first-class judicial magistrate and two social workers at least one of whom is a woman.[6] They are paid an honorarium. Terms last two years for those of ages 35–65.[7] To qualify as a board member, the applicant should have been engaged for seven years in the areas of health, education or other child welfare activities or should be a qualified professional with a degree from an accredited Institute and practicing in Law, Sociology, Psychology, or Psychiatry relating to children.[8]

Functions

Juvenile Justice Boards have the following functions:[9]

  • To be informed of the details on the presence of children and their parents/guardians during the proceddings before the board.
  • Ensure protection of children's rights during the course of legal proceedings.
  • Provide a translator or interpreter if he/she is unable to understand the language used in legal proceedings.
  • Ensure that proceedings are followed in accordance with section 14 of the Juvenile Justice Act.
  • Any other functions assigned to the board as per the Juvenile Justice Act.

Pre-requisites for consideration as a minor

The Juvenile Justice Board considers the following circumstances before declaring any juvenile as minor:[10][11]

  • Physical ability of the juvenile to commit alleged crime.
  • Mental ability of the juvenile.
  • Potential of the juvenile to analyse and understand crime consequences.
  • Circumstances leading to the commitment of alleged offence.

Juveniles classified as adults may face serious punishments such as life imprisonment that are applicable for adult criminals.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Ganotra, Komal (17 February 2016). "With no systems in place, we are taking away our children's right to justice". Scroll.in. Retrieved 18 October 2022.
  2. ↑ "Juvenile Justice Boards (JJBs) - JournalsOfIndia". journalsofindia.com. 18 July 2022. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
  3. ↑ "SC directs states to clear pendency in Juvenile Justice Boards: Another SLIC achievement towards ensuring child rights — SLIC". slic.org.in. 24 July 2015. Retrieved 18 October 2022.
  4. ↑ More, Hemant (22 April 2020). "Juvenile Justice Board: Its constitution, powers, jurisdiction, and functions". The Fact Factor. Retrieved 18 October 2022.
  5. ↑ "44 per cent apprehended juveniles out of 1,026 were acquitted in the last seven years: RTI reply". The Indian Express. 4 October 2022. Retrieved 18 October 2022.
  6. ↑ "Juvenile Justice System of India- Jurisdiction of Courts and beyond". Law Insider India. 13 February 2022. Retrieved 18 October 2022.
  7. ↑ "Applications invited for posts of Juvenile Justice Board members". The Hindu. 5 November 2021. Retrieved 18 October 2022.
  8. ↑ "Applications invited for Juvenile Justice Board member posts". The Hindu. 16 March 2015. Retrieved 18 October 2022.
  9. ↑ "Juvenile Justice Board - Indian Law Portal". indianlawportal. 22 July 2020. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
  10. ↑ "Explained: How should JJBs decide on whether to try a child of 16 years as an 'adult'?". The Indian Express. 16 July 2022. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
  11. ↑ "Why preliminary assessment is against the idea of juvenile justice". Times of India Blog. 7 October 2022. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
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