Times of India: Agra: Wednesday, 15th October
2025.
An RTI query has revealed that within a span of eight years 162 minors were sent by police from various states to adult jails in Agra, instead of treating them as juveniles at the time of arrest, after cops purportedly failed to verify age.
The disclosure all cases
between 2015 and 2023 was made in an RTI (under the Right to Information Act)
filed by Agra-based child rights activist Naresh Paras to the city's district
jail. According to Paras, various courts in the city took note of the lapses
and later ordered their transfer to govt juvenile homes once the families
presented documents proving they were actually below 18 years old.
The activist cautioned that keeping juveniles alongside adult criminals, in such dismal conditions, "can have lifelong psychological and social consequences".
Notably, the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, explicitly prohibits sending minors to regular prisons. Under the Act, "any child in conflict with the law must be placed in an observation or juvenile home...." The Act also mandates that "police verify the accused's age during or immediately after arrest." Each local thana in the district must have a designated child welfare officer (CWO) and a sub-inspector trained to handle cases involving minors.
Elaborating on the rules, Paras said, "If an accused claims to be under 18 and no document is immediately available, police must within 24 hours present the child before the Juvenile Justice Board for age determination. Documents for valid proof include birth certificate, school mark sheet or certificate issued by a gram panchayat or municipal authority. The law forbids keeping minors in lockups, handcuffing them or coercing them into confessions..."
He added: "This (RTI) data calls for disciplinary action against officers responsible for flouting norms. Such negligence doesn't just breach the law, it destroys young lives by exposing them to hardened criminals at a formative age. These findings have reignited measures for stricter monitoring of juvenile cases and periodic audits of police compliance with Juvenile Justice Act to ensure that no minor is ever again sent to jail as an adult."
Agra DCP (city) Sonam Kumar told TOI: "I'm not aware of this RTI in particular and its findings. But we do take sufficient measures and adhere to checks and balances while dealing with cases related to juveniles. There are CWOs at each police station who work with them. We consider that juveniles need proper protection and care. In such cases, we usually check their documents to determine their age."
Kumar added: "Sometimes there are mistakes in their age on documents, which poses a challenge to us. In some cases, the investigating officer might consider an individual as an adult. But that individual can plead before the court to decide the age, and the court can issue directions. We conduct medical tests to reduce the chances of a minor being treated as an adult."
Agra jail authorities were unavailable to comment on the RTI findings.
An RTI query has revealed that within a span of eight years 162 minors were sent by police from various states to adult jails in Agra, instead of treating them as juveniles at the time of arrest, after cops purportedly failed to verify age.
The activist cautioned that keeping juveniles alongside adult criminals, in such dismal conditions, "can have lifelong psychological and social consequences".
Notably, the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, explicitly prohibits sending minors to regular prisons. Under the Act, "any child in conflict with the law must be placed in an observation or juvenile home...." The Act also mandates that "police verify the accused's age during or immediately after arrest." Each local thana in the district must have a designated child welfare officer (CWO) and a sub-inspector trained to handle cases involving minors.
Elaborating on the rules, Paras said, "If an accused claims to be under 18 and no document is immediately available, police must within 24 hours present the child before the Juvenile Justice Board for age determination. Documents for valid proof include birth certificate, school mark sheet or certificate issued by a gram panchayat or municipal authority. The law forbids keeping minors in lockups, handcuffing them or coercing them into confessions..."
He added: "This (RTI) data calls for disciplinary action against officers responsible for flouting norms. Such negligence doesn't just breach the law, it destroys young lives by exposing them to hardened criminals at a formative age. These findings have reignited measures for stricter monitoring of juvenile cases and periodic audits of police compliance with Juvenile Justice Act to ensure that no minor is ever again sent to jail as an adult."
Agra DCP (city) Sonam Kumar told TOI: "I'm not aware of this RTI in particular and its findings. But we do take sufficient measures and adhere to checks and balances while dealing with cases related to juveniles. There are CWOs at each police station who work with them. We consider that juveniles need proper protection and care. In such cases, we usually check their documents to determine their age."
Kumar added: "Sometimes there are mistakes in their age on documents, which poses a challenge to us. In some cases, the investigating officer might consider an individual as an adult. But that individual can plead before the court to decide the age, and the court can issue directions. We conduct medical tests to reduce the chances of a minor being treated as an adult."
Agra jail authorities were unavailable to comment on the RTI findings.
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