The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015. (JJ Act) — Bare Act, All Sections & Free PDF
किशोर न्याय (बच्चों की देखभाल और संरक्षण) अधिनियम, 2015
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Overview
Enacted in 2015, the Juvenile Justice Act provides a robust legal framework for the care, protection, and rehabilitation of children in India. Its primary purpose is to handle juvenile offenders and vulnerable minors. It applies directly to the entire nation, establishing specialized justice mechanisms, adoption regulations, and strict penalties for offenses against children, ensuring their holistic development and absolute safety.
2015 में लागू किशोर न्याय अधिनियम भारत में बच्चों की देखभाल, पूर्ण सुरक्षा और पुनर्वास के लिए मजबूत कानूनी ढांचा प्रदान करता है। इसका मुख्य उद्देश्य किशोर अपराधियों और कमजोर बच्चों को संभालना है। यह सीधे संपूर्ण राष्ट्र पर लागू होता है, जो विशेष न्यायिक तंत्र, दत्तक नियम और बच्चों के खिलाफ अपराधों के लिए सख्त दंड स्थापित करता है।
What is JJ Act
The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015 is a comprehensive Indian statute enacted to govern the legal framework for children in conflict with the law and children in need of care and protection. It came into effect on January 15, 2016. This Act replaced the older Juvenile Justice Act of 2000, introducing stricter provisions for heinous offenses.
Its primary objectives include ensuring the proper care, protection, development, treatment, and social reintegration of vulnerable children. A landmark feature is the provision to try juveniles aged sixteen to eighteen as adults for heinous crimes, addressing public concerns over juvenile delinquency.
The Act establishes Juvenile Justice Boards and Child Welfare Committees to handle cases with a child friendly approach. It also streamlines the adoption process for orphans and mandates strict penalties for cruelty against children. By balancing child rehabilitation with accountability, this crucial legislation fundamentally transformed the juvenile justice system.
Explanation
The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015 provides a comprehensive statutory scope for handling cases involving minors in India. Its key provisions span ten chapters, meticulously detailing procedures for assessment, rehabilitation, and foster care. A major structural change it introduced was the classification of offenses into petty, serious, and heinous categories.
This allowed the transfer of juveniles aged sixteen to eighteen to adult criminal courts for heinous crimes, a significant departure from previous policies. This Act operates indispensably alongside companion laws like the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses Act, 2012, and the Indian Penal Code. While the Penal Code defines substantive crimes, this Act specifically dictates the unique rehabilitative procedure for underage offenders. In the Indian justice system, this legislation plays a profoundly transformative role.
It establishes Juvenile Justice Boards to conduct preliminary assessments, blending judicial expertise with psychological evaluation. Courts routinely interpret its strict provisions regarding adoption protocols and penalties for cruelty to children.
Sections (Showing 1 to 10 of 112)
Section 1 to Section 10 (10 Sections)
Short title, extent, commencement and application.
(1) This Act may be called the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015. (2) It extends to the whole of India 1 ***. (3) It shall come into force on such date 2...
Definitions.
In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,--- (1) "abandoned child" means a child deserted by his biological or adoptive parents or guardians, who has been declared as aba...
General principles to be followed in administration of Act.
The Central Government, the State Governments, 1 [the Board, the Committee, or] other agencies, as the case may be, while implementing the provisions of this Act shall be guided by...
Juvenile Justice Board.
(1) Notwithstanding anything contained in the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 (2 of 1974), the State Government shall, constitute for every district, one or more Juvenile Justice ...
Placement of person, who cease to be a child during process of inquiry.
Where an inquiry has been initiated in respect of any child under this Act, and during the course of such inquiry, the child completes the age of eighteen years, then, notwithstand...
Placement of persons, who committed an offence, when person was below the age of eighteen years.
(1) Any person, who has completed eighteen years of age, and is apprehended for committing an offence when he was below the age of eighteen years, then, such person shall, subject ...
Procedure in relation to Board.
(1) The Board shall meet at such times and shall observe such rules in regard to the transaction of business at its meetings, as may be prescribed and shall ensure that all procedu...
Powers, functions and responsibilities of the Board.
(1) Notwithstanding anything contained in any other law for the time being in force but save as otherwise expressly provided in this Act, the Board constituted for any district sha...
Procedure to be followed by a Magistrate who has not been empowered under this Act.
(1) When a Magistrate, not empowered to exercise the powers of the Board under this Act is of the opinion that the person alleged to have committed the offence and brought before h...
Apprehension of child alleged to be in conflict with law.
(1) As soon as a child alleged to be in conflict with law is apprehended by the police, such child shall be placed under the charge of the special juvenile police unit or the desig...
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