Should we redefine the word juvenile?

Before embarking on the treacherous path of making my opinions heard and thought upon, I’d like to ask a question. Do the grotesque creatures which perform these diabolic deeds, distinguish between juveniles and adults? Its rhetoric.  Ain’t it?

Firstly ,we need to understand the meaning of the word”juvenile”. The lexicon says it is someone which is physiologically immature.

But, they rape a 10 month old girl with the same brutality as that of a 60 year old elderly lady. So when it comes to punishing them for their scurrilous acts why do WE need to classify them as juvenile. They do deserve equal punishment. After all, they are criminals too. So, I’d be with the motion ,that is Yes, we do need to redefine the word juvenile. If not in the Oxford dictionary, then in the Constitution of India.

With due respect to the Constitution of India and the Indian penal code, juveniles who are alleged to be involved in heinous crimes like rapes, murder, extortion ,molestation and the likes and have substantial evidence stacked against them should be liable for the strictest of punishments even capital punishment. They cannot commit such crimes in the shroud of age as age reflects innocence but these criminals cross all limits and the innocence is buried deep below the crust.

Standing firmly against lowering of the age criteria for juveniles accused of heinous crimes including rape, the Justice J.S. Verma Committee report on ‘Amendments to Criminal Law’ has noted that “the Juvenile Justice Act has failed miserably to protect the children in the country. We cannot hold the child responsible for a crime before first providing to him/her the basic rights given to him by the Indian Constitution.’’ But, if that child is a delinquent and offers threat to the society, he/she needs to be condemned and by force if need be. We need to go a little deeper into the legal integrity of the juvenile laws in the Constitution. The laws states that minors should be taken to reform homes and the like and care must be taken to help them refrain from committing such offences in future. This is absurd and outlandish for a criminal who has swiped an innocent docile girl off her grace.

“Old enough for rape, young enough for jail.” What is the psyche of our lawmakers? Atleast I fail to comprehend their orthodoxy or negligence. In this contemporary world, we need to have a result oriented approach and if an existing scheme or law under the aegis of GOI is proving to be incompetent to challenge the growing crime in the nation, it needs to be amended. The apocryphal investigations and claims to make fast track courts for speedy hearing cannot put a shroud of obscurity on the janta anymore. There is a lot of anger and zeal in the janta . Please stop teasing us and appeasing the juvenile offenders.

Juvenile delinquency has been on the rise all over the Indian metros. Being a Delhhi –ite, I can say with some cognizance that many violators of traffic rules, cases of road rage and eve teasers come from the sub 18 group. Allowing them to get away with a warning or a minor punishment is only going to be pejorative for the victims and it will denigrate our society into rebellious and anarchism might not be so far. In order to prevent such grave circumstances, we, the YOUth needs to act and raise our voice so that the Supreme court and the entire conclave of law makers are able to understand the gravity of the situation and act sternly.

Cannot be allowed to get away scott free. Measures need to be taken. Amendments need to be made. Sexual age of maturity should be made 16 and not 18. While other major offenders stare at the gallows why not them. The juvenile was actually according to the victim’s kin the most brutal of the rapists and the barbarous act he committed must not allow his age to come between him and the gallows. To give momentum to my views, I’d like to add that sexual assault is an extraordinary kind of a crime. We cannot typify crimes on women. Thus rape classifies as an extraordinary crime.

To conclude my argument, I strongly feel that the Government instead of buck passing and mud slinging should be more sensitive to the needs of the people, especially women. Instead of condemning the protests as rebellious and negatively instigating and cynical, I urge are lawmakers and law implementers to do their but if they expect us to be law abiding citizens. The need of the hour calls for that or else the candles would be replaced by lathis very soon. With this I’d like to rest my case.

(This piece of work won the 1^st prize at online essay writing competition at Tremors ,the CSI dept. fest of Indira Gandhi Institute of Technology, New Delhi)

Udit Bhatia

Electronics & Communication Engineering

Final Year

MSIT(IP University, New Delhi)