--- description: Law has been spurred by recent protests over the release of a convicted juvenile rapist in the infamous Delhi gang-rape case of 2012 title: Spurred by Protests, India Lowers Delinquency Age to 16 image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4d371e62519caf84/698876a6524fc04062df60a7/gettyimages-502195016.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Spurred by Rape Protests, India Passes a Bill Lowering the Juvenile Delinquency Age to 16 by [Rishi Iyengar](/author/rishi-iyengar/) ## Rishi Iyengar Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Dec 23, 2015 6:17 AM CUT  Parents of Jyoti Singh along with activists during a protest against the release of juvenile convict of the 2012 gang-rape case on Dec. 21, 2015, in New Delhi Parents of Jyoti Singh along with activists during a protest against the release of juvenile convict of the 2012 gang-rape case on Dec. 21, 2015, in New DelhiSushil Kumar–Hindustan Times/Getty Images by [Rishi Iyengar](/author/rishi-iyengar/) ## Rishi Iyengar Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Dec 23, 2015 6:17 AM CUT India on Tuesday [passed](http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-35161193 "undefined") a bill effectively allowing juvenile criminals aged 16 years or over to be tried as adults in the case of “heinous crimes” crimes such as murder and rape. The Juvenile Justice Bill was ratified by the country’s upper house of Parliament, or Rajya Sabha, after the lower house did so in May, the BBC reported. It will now have to be signed by the country’s President to become a law, an act widely considered a mere formality. The new law replaces the existing system under which convicts under the age of 18 are sent to a correctional facility for a maximum of three years. It was the [release](http://time.com/4154567/delhi-gang-rape-2012-convict-release-free/ "undefined") from such a facility of the youngest rapist in the internationally infamous 2012 New Delhi [gang-rape](http://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,2132718,00.html "undefined") case — when 23-year-old medical student Jyoti Singh was brutally assaulted by six men and subsequently died — that significantly increased the pressure on the government to amend the law. Singh’s parents, who said they were “satisfied” at the bill’s passing, were at the forefront of [protests](http://time.com/4156338/minor-india-gang-rape-released/ "undefined") demanding harsher punishment for the young man who was 17 at the time of the rape. The new law will not apply to him, however, having been passed after his release. “I am sad that my daughter did not get justice,” Singh’s mother Asha Devi told the BBC. The bill has also encountered [criticism](http://qz.com/579566/five-reasons-why-india-shouldnt-reduce-the-juvenile-delinquency-age-from-18-to-16/ "undefined"), with many lamenting it as a knee-jerk reaction. “We have to realize that a legal system cannot and does not stand on emotion. It has to stand on reason,” lawmaker Vandana Chavan [said](http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/parliament-passes-juveline-justice-bill-16-and-above-to-be-tried-as-adults/ "undefined") in Parliament on Tuesday, according to the _Indian Express_. Chavan cited studies contradicting the assumption that minors who perpetrate rapes and murders are as mature as adults. “There has been an argument that if you are old enough to rape, you are old enough to be hanged and I feel this is absolutely wrong,” she said. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4159754/india-bill-juvenile-delinquency-16-rape-murder/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4159754/india-bill-juvenile-delinquency-16-rape-murder/"},"headline":"Spurred by Rape Protests, India Passes a Bill Lowering the Juvenile Delinquency Age to 16","datePublished":"2015-12-23T06:17:47.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T13:36:07.256Z","description":"Critics call the new law a knee-jerk reaction to heated protests over sexual violence in the country","url":"https://time.com/4159754/india-bill-juvenile-delinquency-16-rape-murder/","keywords":["Rape","Crime","India","Law","Parliament","Delhi","2012"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4d371e62519caf84/698876a6524fc04062df60a7/gettyimages-502195016.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Rishi Iyengar","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/rishi-iyengar/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4d371e62519caf84/698876a6524fc04062df60a7/gettyimages-502195016.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Nirbhaya's Parents Lead Protest Against Juvenile Release","caption":"Nirbhaya's Parents Lead Protest Against Juvenile Release","creditText":"Sushil Kumar–Hindustan Times/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4159754/india-bill-juvenile-delinquency-16-rape-murder/","name":"Spurred by Rape Protests, India Passes a Bill Lowering the Juvenile Delinquency Age to 16"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"The Delhi Gang Rape: TIME Talks to Suspect's Family","description":"TIME correspondent Krista Mahr visits Delhi gang rape suspect Ram Singh's village to examine the social and economic causes behind the increase in gender-based crime in Delhi.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/VmM8gABA/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2013-03-14T20:17:49.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/VmM8gABA.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/4159754/india-bill-juvenile-delinquency-16-rape-murder/","duration":"PT6M53S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/4159754/india-bill-juvenile-delinquency-16-rape-murder/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```