Juveniles of Jammu and Kashmir: Unequal Before the Law and Denied Justice in Custody

While the arrests of dozens of juveniles during the mass uprising in the Kashmir valley from June to September 2010 brought the abuse of the Public Safety Act against the children in conflict with the law into focus, this report of the Asian Centre for Human Rights shows that juveniles have been consistently arrested under the Public Safety Act, detained with adults in police lock up and prisons, and tried with and as adults in normal courts. The detention of these minors is illegal as the Supreme Court of India has held in numerous judgements. ACHR seeks the repeal the 1997 J&K Juvenile Justice Act, and enactment of a new law in conformity with the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2000 and the adoption of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Rules immediately. http://www.achrweb.org/reports/india/JJ-J&K-2011.pdf