"We keep on lowering the age and denying juveniles a chance at reformation by trying them as adults. It's not wise to keep on blaming juveniles for crime. It is time to invest in making our juvenile justice system work strongly," NGO Save the Children said in a statement.
It is unfortunate that India is witnessing cases of criminalisation of children, it said.
The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015 lowers the age of juveniles from 18 years to 16 years for heinous crimes such as rape, murder and dacoity-cum- murder, which warrant at least seven years of imprisonment.