Taking note of demands to reform Juvenile Laws after the minor accused in the Delhi gang-rape case got away with a three-year imprisonment, President Pranab Mukherjee today said the country urgently needed to arrive at a consensus on the justice system for minors.
"We're currently debating and grappling with several issues related to Juvenile Justice, including the question of age and treatment of juveniles, who may have the mental capacity to judge their actions," Mukherjee said.
The reformative approach of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2000, had come into question and there was demand for a Law with a deterrent effect, where the guilty were punished in accordance with the nature of the offence they committed, irrespective of age, he added.
"There is need for us in India to urgently grapple with and arrive at a consensus on the principles that should underline our Juvenile Justice system," the President said.
He, however, said this debate was not exclusive to India and the thinking and understanding of Juvenile Justice across the world was still at a development stage as the discourse and law varied from one country to another depending on their approach to human rights, legal and technical capacities and governance system.
Mukherjee, who was speaking at an inaugural function of a seminar here, also expressed concern over rising incidents of sexual crimes against children in the country despite enactment of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 (POCSO).
