Ajit Pawar Advocates Lowering Age Limit for Juvenile Offenders to Below 14

(PCB) – Just two days ago, school students were murdered by their peers in Baramati. In light of this, Ajit Pawar held a meeting this morning with district police chiefs and other police officials to discuss urgent measures. Following the meeting, he addressed the media and raised important points regarding the age limit for juvenile offenders. He stated that there is a need to set the age limit for juvenile offenders below 14 years. This is because the intelligence of children in the past is very different from the current circumstances. We will also be discussing this matter with Home Minister Amit Shah, as it is a topic related to the central government. We will demand that juvenile offenders be considered under the age of 14, said Ajit Pawar.

Pawar noted that once school students turn 14, they are often exploited for criminal activities. Additionally, the inability of these children to control their anger contributes to the increase in crimes. Because they are considered minors, they enjoy certain liberties. In such a situation, to control crime and maintain law and order, the age of juvenile offenders should be set below 14 years. Every youth or individual above the age of 14 should be regarded as a serious or direct criminal. This viewpoint is being expressed widely, making Ajit Pawar's statement significant in this context.

Meanwhile, he expressed disagreement with a statement made by MLA Devendra Bhuyar. Bhuyar had made derogatory comments, saying, “A first-rate girl marries well-off men, a second-rate girl marries street vendors and grocery store owners, and a third-rate girl marries a farmer's son.” Ajit Pawar strongly reprimanded him, saying, “Devendra’s statement is extremely wrong, and I told him to apologize.” This was stated by Ajit Pawar at a press conference held in Pune. Devendra Bhuyar is one of Ajit Pawar's fellow legislators.

Pawar remarked, “Wait a minute… Devendra’s statement is absolutely incorrect, and I told him to apologize. I learned about this yesterday evening, as it was extremely inappropriate, hurtful to girls, and disrespectful to farmers, especially since he has been my colleague for the past five years.” 

He added, “He was elected from the farmers' organization, but he was working. He told me, ‘Brother, I will handle it.’ My intent was not to convey that. All I wanted to say is that, from the perspective of farmers' income, they prioritize daughters for marriage over employees. There was a time when daughters were prioritized for landowners. However, he erred in his remarks. A mistake is a mistake. I have given him clear instructions regarding this. I told him that I found your statement entirely inappropriate; you need to retract it immediately and apologize.” This information was shared by Ajit Pawar.