Nirbhaya’s parents meet Ghulam Nabi Azad, seeks Rajya Sabha passage of Juvenile

the government said the amendments to Juvenile Justice Act that will allow children between 16-18 years to be tried as adults in heinous crime cases will come up before Rajya Sabha tomorrow

New Delhi, Dec 21: Parents of the December 16 gangrape victim today met Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad, seeking the passage of the Juvenile Justice Bill which will allow children between 16-18 years to be tried as adults in heinous crime cases. “We have been assured that the bill will be passed tomorrow and we believe that. Now, it is not the right time to talk about him (the juvenile convict of the gangrape case) as he is a free man and there is no law to hold him back. Our fight is not only for us but for all women and girls,” the victim’s father Badri Singh Pandey told reporters after meeting the Congress leader at the latter’s residence. (ALSO READ: December 16 gangrape: NGO says juvenile convict deserves second chance)

On a day the Supreme Court rejected a plea against the release of juvenile offender in the December 16 gangrape case, the government said the amendments to Juvenile Justice Act that will allow children between 16-18 years to be tried as adults in heinous crime cases will come up before Rajya Sabha tomorrow.However, Congress had earlier in the day termed this move as “brazen mischief” by the government, alleging it was to “defame the opposition” and divert attention from DDCA issue.

“Let them not do this mischief. This is a total brazen mischief on the part of the government… This is only to divert the attention of the opposition from raising other issues, about DDCA,” Azad said, adding that the Congress will support the Juvenile Justice Bill in the Upper House.

Before meeting Azad, Nirbhaya’s parents participated in a candlelight march at Jantar Mantar here along with hundreds of youths and activists. Amid protests, the juvenile convict in the case was sent to an NGO in Delhi yesterday. The victim’s mother Asha Devi said notwithstanding the release of the juvenile convict yesterday, she and her husband will continue their fight to ensure death penalty for the rest of the convicts who are currently lodged in Tihar jail.