Why Is It in News?
- India Justice Report (IJR) released a dedicated study on capacity and performance of Juvenile Justice Boards (JJBs)—first such national-level, empirical assessment.
- Found 55% pendency, severe vacancies, weak data architecture, and institutional incapacity despite a decade of the JJ Act, 2015.
- Justice Madan B. Lokur called the findings “deeply worrying”, highlighting systemic neglect.
Relevance
- GS-2: Governance, Vulnerable Sections
Systemic failure in delivering justice to minors. - GS-2: Judiciary
Pendency, quasi-judicial bodies, institutional delays.
What Are JJBs?
- Created under Juvenile Justice (Care & Protection) Act, 2015 to handle cases of Children in Conflict with Law (CICL).
- Mandated composition:
- 1 Judicial Magistrate (First Class)
- 2 Social Workers (at least one woman)
- Philosophy:
- Child-friendly inquiry
- Rehabilitation > Punishment
- Speedy resolution (within 4 months, ideally)
Key Data (India Justice Report 2023)
Pendency
- 55% of 1,00,904 cases pending (as of Oct 31, 2023).
- State variation:
- Odisha: 83% pendency
- Karnataka: 35% pendency
- 154 cases pending per JJB annually on average.
Vacancies & Institutional Weakness
- 24% JJBs not fully constituted → breaks statutory requirement.
- Staff shortages in Child Care Institutions (CCIs): counsellors, probation officers, house parents.
- 30% JJBs lack Legal Services Clinics → affects access to representation.
Weak Data Governance
- No NJDG-like centralised data portal for JJBs.
- From 250+ RTI filings:
- 11% rejected
- 24% no response
- 29% transferred
- Only 36% valid responses
- Reveals poor transparency and weak record-handling culture.
Inter-agency Coordination Failures
- Weak linkage among:
- Police → JJB
- District Child Protection Units
- CCIs
- Child Welfare Committees
- Delays in Social Investigation Reports and counselling assessments.
Why the System is Failing ?
- Underfunding of juvenile justice mechanisms.
- Lack of trained personnel → high turnover of social workers.
- Weak monitoring by State Child Protection Societies.
- Policing-oriented mindset, not child-centric.
- Poor infrastructure, digitalisation, reporting.
Impact
- Delays compromise:
- Child rehabilitation
- Schooling, social reintegration
- Rights under Article 21
- Prolonged detention increases:
- Trauma
- Risk of repeat offending
- Institutionalisation effects
Way Forward
- Fill vacancies, professionalise cadre of social workers.
- National data grid for JJBs.
- Independent performance audits.
- Adequate funding for CCIs, mental health support.
- Mandatory training for JJB members.
- Strengthening convergence with DCPUs, CWCs, and legal aid bodies.
