Did the Supreme Court do the right thing by refusing to lower the juvenile age to 16?

The Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld the Juvenile Justice Act providing for differential treatment to a minor irrespective of the nature of crime committed by him or her. The apex court bench headed by Chief Justice Altamas Kabir upheld the Juvenile Justice Act by declining the prayer that the age in the act should be reduced from 18 to 16 and those involved in heinous crimes should not be treated differently. (Read:Do we need to re-think our juvenile laws?)

The petitioner had also sought that the punishment for heinous crime committed by a minor should not be decided by the Juvenile Justice Board. Rejecting the petition, Chief Justice Kabir said here was no need to interfere in the matter. The petition was filed in the context of a minor who was among those who were arrested for the gangrape, brutal assault and torture of a 23-year-old woman in a moving bus in Delhi Dec 16 last year. She later died in a Singapore hospital Dec 29.

Delhi Gang Rape Timeline

Dec 16: A 23-year-old physiotherapy student is brutally raped in a bus in Delhi. Victim admitted to Safdarjung Hospital by the police.

Dec 17: Bus driver Ram Singh and two others arrested.

Dec 18: Public sentiment boils over leading to huge demonstrations as protesters clash with police at various places. Fourth accused arrested.

Dec 19: Doctors treating the girl comment about her unstable condition though she manages to communicate with docs by writing.

Dec 20: Students of various universities protest outside CM Sheila Dixit s residence

Dec 21: The fifth accused, a juvenile is arrested and one of the culprits is identified by the victim s male friend in Tihar. Delhi Police starts search operation in Haryana and Bihar for another accused. Sir Ganga Ram Hospital chairman offers victim free intestinal transplant, an offer which is considered a publicity stunt by many since the victim s not stable enough for one

Dec 23: Delhi High Court sets up fast track court

Dec 24: PM Manmohan Singh requests people to keep calm and suffers a major faux paus as he s heard off-camera asking people Thik Hai?

Dec 26: Government decides to fly victim to Singapore for further treatment which raises questions about whether she would survive the journey and why she wasn t taken to a better facility in Delhi like AIIMS which is just around the corner.

Dec 27: She s airlifted to Singapore

Dec 29: She succumbs to her injuries at 4:45 AM

Dec 30: Her body is flown back to Delhi

Jan 1: Special task-force to deal with women s safety in Delhi icreated

Jan 3: A case of rape, murder, kidnapping, destruction of evidence, and attempted murder on the male victim is filed against all the five accused in the case.

Jan 5: Her friend gives an interview to Zee News which documents their ordeal including public and police apathy to their plight

Jan 9: The accused demand legal representation; lawyer Manohar Lal Sharma fights their case

Jan 10: Sharma declares victims were responsible for their predicament.

Jan 28: The Juvenile Justice Board declares that one of the six accused is a minor despite no strong evidence to suggest it. Age-testing is ruled out.

Feb 3: The Criminal Law (Amendment) Ordinance, 2013, with suggestions from the Verma Committee Report introduced.

Feb 5: The trial starts

March 11: The main accused, Ram Singh is found hanging in his jail cell that he shared with two other accused.

April 4: One of the accused claims Tihar guards harassing him

April 11: Vinay s counsel claims two of the accused were not present on the bus

May 1: Defence harasses male friend by claiming he s a womaniser

May 10: Vinay and Akshay s advocate AP Singh asks for male friend to undergo polygraph test

June 4: Juvenile accused turns 18 according to school certificate

July 11: Juvenile board defers judgement till July 25 to decide whether to try the minor in the case as an adult or a minor.