High Court's Strong Words on Leniency Towards Juveniles Post-Nirbhaya

The Madhya Pradesh High Court has criticized the continued lenient treatment of juveniles in serious crimes, citing the 2012 Nirbhaya gang-rape case as an example of the legislature's failure to act. The court upheld a lower court's sentence against a 17-year-old convicted of raping a four-year-old girl in 2017.

The Madhya Pradesh High Court has criticized the lenient treatment of juveniles in India, referencing the 2012 Nirbhaya gang-rape case. Justice Subodh Abhyankar made these observations while dismissing an appeal by a man convicted of raping a four-year-old girl in 2017.

The convict, 17 at the time, escaped from a juvenile home in 2019. The High Court expressed its displeasure over the failure of laws to prevent such incidents, emphasizing the need for stricter legislative measures post-Nirbhaya.

The court upheld the initial sentence of 10 years' imprisonment, ordered a warrant for the absconding convict, and directed that the order be sent to the Law Secretary. The 2012 Nirbhaya case had sparked nationwide protests demanding tougher laws.