The legal process, however, lumbered on. The Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) took cognizance of the case. The boy was sent to a juvenile detention center. The victims’ families, led by Ujjwal Kumbhe (Anuja’s father) and Sharad Kulkarni (Neha’s father), launched a tireless legal battle. They argued that the crime was so heinous, so premeditated, that the accused had the mental capacity of an adult and should be tried under the Indian Penal Code, not the lenient Juvenile Act.
If the board finds that the juvenile had the mental capacity to commit the crime and understood the consequences, the case can be transferred to a Children’s Court, which can then sentence the convict to adult prison terms, albeit with some safeguards. Anuja And Neha Case Real Story
In 2015, the Rajya Sabha passed the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, which replaced the 2000 Act. The most critical change was , which allows the Juvenile Justice Board to conduct a preliminary assessment to determine whether a juvenile between the ages of 16 and 18 should be tried as an adult for heinous offenses (crimes punishable with seven or more years of imprisonment). The legal process, however, lumbered on