Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his deputy Manish Sisodia at a press conference (Press Trust of India photo)
Prosecuting boys above the age of 15 years in case of heinous crimes, death penalty or life term for accused in such cases, time-bound investigation and fast tracking of cases - these are the key plans of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to make Delhi safer for children.
The Chief Minister made the announcements after a cabinet meeting this morning - days after a spate of rapes where little girls were targeted left Delhi shocked.
Last week, two girls were raped within a span of 24 hours - one is a two-and-a-half year child and the other a five-year-old. Two boys, aged 17, were caught by the police in the first case.
The increasing number of heinous crimes where boys below the age of 18 were found to be involved, led to the controversial move by the government earlier this year to try them as adults.
In May, the Lok Sabha passed a bill to amend the Juvenile Justice Act, under which children who are aged 16 and above will be tried as adults in crimes like rape and murder.
Mr Kejriwal has suggested pushing down the age bar to 15. "I don't think the bad people live only in Delhi, and that people living in Kolkata, New York, London or Varanasi are saints. It is just that the fear of law is not there in Delhi," he said.
"A group of ministers, led by Manish Sisodia (the deputy chief minister who is also handling the law portfolio) will consider recommendations," Mr Kejriwal said. "The Cabinet will look into the recommendations and come up with a proposal within 15 days."
In the wake of the rapes, Mr Kejriwal has renewed his demand of removing the police from under the control of the Union home ministry and placing it under the Delhi government. Yesterday, he met Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung to press for the demand.
To help fast track rape cases, the government is prepared to provide infrastructure and will consult the Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court in this matter, the Chief Minister said. "Since safety is in the concurrent list, can we set up special police stations for women," he added.