After much debate, dissension and dialogue, the Indian Parliament has approved a new juvenile justice Bill, which now paves the way for the prosecution of juvenile criminals, aged between 16 and 18 years, to be tried as adults if they are accused of ‘heinous crimes’. This move comes on the heels of the recent release of the juvenile convict in the Delhi gang rape, who had been arrested when he was 17, and walked out of custody a 20-year-old.

The move has evoked mixed reactions and cleaved society in two. One half has justified this tougher law claiming juvenile crime is on the rise. However, while teens have been known to commit the gravest of crimes, statistics for juvenile crime have been static for a few years.