Juvenile Justice in India: A Historical Outline

A “Juvenile” or “Child” means a person who has not completed eighteen years of age. International Law interprets, a ‘Child’ means every human being below the age of 18 years. Today this is a universally accepted definition of a child which comes from the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). Under the Indian Laws, Section 2 (k) of the Juvenile Justice Care and Protection of Children Act, 2000 defines “juvenile” or “Child” as a person who has not completed eighteenth year of age. The future of country depends on its children. So it is the duty and responsibility of everyone to ensure that the children have a safe environment to live in. But gradually it has been seen a huge dive in the rate of Juvenile crime in a developing country like India just like a disease in our society. This study tries to describe the evolution of Juvenile Justice Legislation, from British India to the present democratic India by focusing at the guidelines of Juvenile Justice Act, 1986, 2000, 2014 and 2015. In spite of the existence of that safety regulation for such children, there is a rise in the number of Juvenile criminals across the country, is a vital issue for the country. Whoever may be the person; whatever may be the situation; justice delayed means justice denied. India, as a land of immense diversities faces too many parameters of justice from its societal level to its judiciary. With verities of issues, it finds too many problems of juvenile justice in India however, the paper also tries to find out the causes and types of Juvenile Crimes in our society. Towards conclusion, some suggestions have been made for preventive measures of Juvenile Crimes by signifying the history of the juvenile justice in India.