Juvenile Justice Act, 2015: Boards, committees and the 16-18 rule

Prelims pointers

• Juvenile Justice Board (Section 4): set up by the State Government for every district; a Principal Magistrate with three years' experience and two social workers, at least one a woman.
• Child Welfare Committee (Section 27): a Chairperson and four members, at least one a woman and one a child expert; deals with children in need of care and protection.
• Section 15: preliminary assessment only for a child aged 16-18 accused of a heinous offence; the Board may take help from psychologists or psycho-social workers.
• Section 21: no child in conflict with law may be sentenced to death or to life imprisonment without the possibility of release.
• Petty offences: at most three years' jail; heinous: minimum seven years or more; serious (2021): minimum over three to seven years, or maximum above seven with no seven-year minimum.
• Central Adoption Resource Authority (Section 68): promotes in-country adoption, regulates inter-country adoption and is the Central Authority under the 1993 Hague Convention on inter-country adoption.
• 2021 amendment: offences under the Act punishable with three to seven years became non-cognizable and non-bailable; all are triable by the Children's Court.
• Section 56: a relative may adopt a child from another relative irrespective of religion; adoptions under the Hindu Adoptions and Maintenance Act, 1956 fall outside the Act.