The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2000
The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2000 is the primary legal framework for juvenile justice in India. The Act provides for a special approach towards the prevention and treatment of juvenile delinquency and provides a framework for the protection, treatment and rehabilitation of children in the purview of the juvenile justice system. This law, brought in compliance of Child Rights Convention, repealed the earlier Juvenile Justice Act of 1986. This Act has been further amended in year 2006 and 2010. Government of India is once again contemplating bringing further amendments and a review committee has been constituted by Ministry of Women and Child Development which is reviewing the existing legislation.
JJ Act is considered to be an extremely progressive legislation and Model Rules 2007 have further added to the effectiveness of this welfare legislation.
However the implementation is a very serious concern even in year 2012 and Supreme Court of India is constantly looking into the implementation of this law in Sampurna Behrua Versus Union of India.
A separate petition titled Deepika Thusso Versus State of Jammu and Kashmir is also pending consideration before Supreme Court on implementation of Juvenile Justice Act, 1995 which is applicable in the State of Jammu & Kashmir.
Based on a resolution passed in year 2006 and reiterated again in 2009 in the Conference of Chief Justices of India, several High Courts have constituted "Juvenile Justice Committees" which are monitoring committees headed by sitting Judges of High Courts. These Committees supervise and monitor implementation of Juvenile Justice Act in their Jurisdiction and have been very effective in improving state of implementation. Juvenile Justice Committee of Delhi High Court is considered a model in this regard.
