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The Supreme Court has ruled that the JJB must compel the assistance of a psychologist or psychosocial worker during the preliminary evaluation to try a juvenile as an adult.
By - Kshitij Srivastava
On Wednesday, the Supreme Court ruled that under the proviso to Section 15(1) of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, the Juvenile Justice Board would be required to seek assistance from experienced psychologists, psychosocial workers, or other experts when it does not include a practising professional with a degree in child psychology or child psychiatry (Act).
At first, the Board was to treat all minors under the age of 18 as juveniles and conduct their trials. Only after the 2015 Act went into effect was a separate category for minors involved in heinous crimes between the ages of 16 and 18 culled out, who were then given a preliminary evaluation to determine whether they should be tried as children by the Board or as adults by the Children's Court under Section 15 of the Act.