NHRC Orders Probe Into Jailing of 16-Year-Old With Adults in UP Jail
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has taken suo motu cognisance of the illegal confinement of a 16-year-old boy in Kasna Jail in Uttar Pradesh, where he was held for nearly two months alongside adult prisoners before being transferred to a juvenile home. The commission, in its order dated June 19, termed it a serious human rights violation and issued notices to the Uttar Pradesh Director General of Prisons and the Director General of Police, seeking a detailed report within two weeks.
The NHRC also directed its Director General (Investigation) to depute a team of officers to conduct a spot inquiry and submit a report within a week. The juvenile was apprehended on April 14 following protests by factory workers in Noida demanding higher wages and better working conditions, which turned violent on April 13. He was shifted to a juvenile home on June 12 and released on bail on June 18.
Under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, no juvenile can be kept in a prison or police lockup. They must be produced before a Juvenile Justice Board within 24 hours and sent to a observation home or special home. The NHRC's intervention highlights the violation of these statutory protections.
The Campaign for the Release of Workers and Activists of Noida (CaRWAN) alleged that after the NHRC order, a Uttar Pradesh Police team visited the juvenile's home and forced him to sign some papers. “They took a copy of his elder brother’s Aadhaar and have been calling and pressuring him into recording a video claiming that the juvenile used his Aadhaar card to enrol in a factory,” a CaRWAN member alleged. These allegations have not been independently verified.
The NHRC has asked the police and prison authorities to explain the circumstances leading to the juvenile's illegal detention. The commission has also sought details of the steps taken to prevent such occurrences in the future. The case underscores ongoing concerns about the treatment of juveniles in custody and the enforcement of juvenile justice norms.
