TNI Bureau: The Supreme Court will examine the definition of juvenile in the Juvenile Justice Act. The hearing will take place on April 3 on a PIL seeking judiciary to be given power to determine whether a juvenile can be tried as an adult in extreme cases or not

The PIL was filed after the Juvenile Justice Board last week pronounced the sixth accused as ‘Minor’ in the brutal Delhi Gangrape-murder case. The PIL filed by advocates Kamal Kumar Pandey and Sukumar said that the court should decide whether the accused would face charges under the Juvenile Justice Act, depending on the gravity of the crime.

Admitting the plea, the apex court asked Attorney General GE Vahanvati to file counter affidavits and relevant reports relating to the issue. The petitioners said that sections 2(k), 10 and 17 of the Juvenile Justice Act, which deal with the issue, were irrational. The counsel appearing for the petitioners also said that the definition of juvenile under section 82 and 83 of the IPC is a much better than the JJ ACT.