Juvenile Offenders Should Be Brought Back Into Main Stream Of Society: Madras HC Calls For Statewide Expansion Of Reformative Projects
The Madras High Court highlighted the shortcomings in the treatment of juvenile offenders, noting that the current approach often drives them toward a future of criminality.
The Court suggested the expansion of reformative initiatives across Tamil Nadu to reintegrate juvenile offenders into society and prevent them from becoming habitual criminals.
This observation came during the granting of bail to a 19-year-old boy accused of stealing movable items such as a machine motor and submersible motor worth Rs. 45,000.
A Bench of Justice N. Anand Venkatesh, while granting bail, remarked that although the State had implemented reformative projects like Paravai and Pattam in Chennai, these initiatives should be expanded across the entire State to effectively address juvenile delinquency.
Advocate R. Ramanujam appeared for the petitioner and Government Advocate B. Thanga Aravindh appeared for the respondent.
The Court said, “In Chennai, there is a reformatory project conducted in the name of (*)PARAVAI AND PATTAM Projects. This effort has the support of the State Government and the State Government has also allocated separate funds to the tune of Rs.40,00,000/- recently for the said project. This effort must spread through out the State of Tamil Nadu to ensure that such juvenile offenders are brought into the main stream of the Society and they are not pushed to become notorious criminals in future. The Society and the system owes a responsibility to ensure that the juvenile offenders are brought back into main stream of the Society,”
The Court expressed empathy for the petitioner, calling his case a prime example of how young offenders often get entangled in a cycle of crime. The Court pointed out that once a young individual is caught committing a crime, they often become ensnared in a web of subsequent cases. The Court noted that the juvenile is "pushed to a corner," leading them to believe that they will continue to be implicated in other crimes, causing them to fall deeper into criminality.
The Court warned, "At one stage, this youngster will end up as a gang leader and will become a larger nuisance to the Society. This is the story of many juveniles, who are caught committing a crime and who ultimately end up becoming incorrigible offenders,"
In light of the petitioner's age and the fact that he had already endured several months of incarceration, the Court decided to grant bail subject to certain conditions.
Cause Title: X v. The State Of Tamil Nadu
