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Maneka for treating juvenile accused of rapes as adults

by IBNS 14 Jul 2014, 01:42 am

Chennai, July 14 (IBNS): Union Minister for Women and Child Development Maneka Gandhi has said that juveniles accused of rape should be treated as adults.

She said on Sunday here that as per police records half the sexual crimes are committed by "16-year-olds who know the Juvenile Justice Act so they can do it."

"But now for premeditated murder, rape, if we bring them into the purview of the adult world, then it will scare them," she said.

"We are changing the law and I am personally working on it to bring 16-year-olds into the purview," she said. 

 It may be noted that one of the most brutal attackers of the Dec 2012 fatal Delhi bus gang-rape victim was a juvenile when he committed the crime. 

However, the views of Gandhi can be contested by the child rights groups and the NCPCR (National Commission of Protection of Child Rights).

Maneka Gandhi's predecessor in the previous UPA government, Krishna Tirath, had also wanted that juveniles above 16 years committing such crimes should be treated as adult offenders.