Dilemma over jailing adults who committed crimes while minors

"I am of the view that the law ought to have provided some form of protection as well, even if not identical to the one under Section 221 of the Act. If the Act intended them to be treated differently, it ought to have expressly stated so. Why call them children and then deal with them like adults?" posed the judge.

"I would easily find that the children in this age bracket (over 14 years) have not been adequately protected, so there is an element of discrimination. There is no explanation why the lacuna in the law continues to exist despite several decisions of the superior court addressing the issue," he added.