For juveniles, a long wait for justice

Neena Sharma

Tribune News Service

Dehradun, February 15

Ratan (name changed) was 12 years when he was apprehended a year ago by the police from a village in Haridwar on the charge of murder.

A year has gone by and he is still languishing in an observation home awaiting the day when his case will be heard by the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB).

There are several children residing in observation homes, unsure about their future but still clinging to a faint hope that one fine morning, they will be able to walk free.

The number of cases involving juveniles in conflict of law at various Juvenile Justice Boards (JJBs) in various districts of Uttarakhand till November 2015 is 601.

The reasons are manifold. The cases continue to hang due to irregular sitting by JJBs and lack of quorum. At times, the single judge (Principal Magistrate) presides over the board with the other members missing.

“If only the district authorities could take up the cases and dispose them of on time, our observation homes will have lesser children,” said Sanjay, a lawyer from Dehradun.

It is observed that despite the Juvenile Justice Act that says the JJBs should try to complete every inquiry within the stipulated four months, efforts are made to drag the case.

“This is a new state, several practices are yet to be adopted in totality. But the efforts of the department are to see that the children are not denied justice. In cases involving minor offences, if the inquiry does not take place within four months, the children should be free,” said Manoj Chandaran Raju, Additional Secretary, Department of Social Welfare.

Among the districts, the number of cases pending before the respective JJ boards are Haridwar 197, Dehradun 182, Udham Singh Nagar 158, Naintial 29, Pauri 18, Chamoli 6, Bageshwar 3, Champawat 3, Tehri 3 and Pithoragarh two and in the remaining three districts there are cases awaiting disposal.

The maximum number of cases pending is in Haridwar district followed by Dehradun and Udham Singh Nagar districts. In most of these districts, the cases are more than three years old. Officials say that the cases of crime involving juveniles have shot up in the last few years and most of the cases pertain to murders, theft, rape and other minor offences.