Juvenile justice faces roadblock

Nearly a decade after the Juvenile Justice Act came into force, more than 50,000 children in conflict with the law in India are stuck in limbo, as the system has failed them spectacularly.

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The India Justice report published recently reveals that there is a huge backlog of cases in India’s 362 juvenile justice boards, with pendency ranging from 83% in Odisha to 35% in Karnataka. The aim to decentralise the juvenile justice system has backfired, as children continue to languish in captivity like undertrial prisoners in the adult justice system. Ninety-two per cent of India’s 765 districts have constituted JJBs, but one in four boards operated without a full bench, A full bench comprises a special magistrate and two social worker members. On an average, a JJB has a backlog of 154 cases, While highlighting the lack of transparency, Maja Daruwala, Chief Editor of the India Justice Report, said the findings of the study were a warning sign.