JJ Act Amendment will have devastating impact on children: Priyanka Chaturvedi in letter to Union Minister Smriti Irani

Shiv Sena leader Priyanka Chaturvedi has, in a letter to Union Minister Smriti Irani, expressed dissatisfaction over the recent amendment to Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act 2021, which classifies serious offences against children as non-cognisable.

According to Chaturvedi, the decision will have an adverse impact on children's well being as grave offences such as employing and exploiting children for begging, labour, and smuggling drugs will not attract an FIR, because of the amendment.

"On one hand, the government talks of "Beti Bachao , Beti Padhao", but on the other, it brings forward an amendment that will ensure no FIR's are registered in serious offences against children except with special permission from the judicial magistrate. This recent amendment to the act will have a devastating impact on children as it shields the perpetrators who employ and exploit children for begging, labour, and smuggling drugs," she said

"Unfortunately, none of these grave offences will now attract an FIR registration and automatic investigation because of the recent amendment," she said further.

"I am at loss to understand the rationale of the Government's decision to classify even the sale and procurement of children and their use by militant organisations as non-cognisable. This catastrophic blunder would not have happened if the Government had engaged in meaningful pre-legislative consultation and examination by a select committee," she said.

"It is crucial to reduce the crime against children, but merely reducing the crime data by suppressing the registration of FIRs would only prove counterproductive and is a gross injustice to the Constitution and the children. Therefore, I urge you to rectify this amendment and restore the cognisable status of these offences. I look forward to year considerate response," she concluded.