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Theft by Child

Last updated on Apr 8, 2022

If a child commits theft, then the punishment for them is lighter than the punishment for an adult. This is usually what happens when a child commits theft:

  • A child may be arrested, but he cannot be kept in the jail – the police must present the child to the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) within 24 hours1.
  • If the police does not release the hold immediately on bail, the child can only be kept in an Observation Home2 until he is  taken to JJB (within 24 hours).
  • The police are  supposed to inform a Child Welfare Officer who is supposed to accompany the child to the JJB for the first hearing3.

JJB is supposed to finish the enquiry within 4-6 months, and the case is terminated if it extends beyond that4.

If you have faced theft by a child, read here to understand the steps/options you can take to complain.

  1. Section 10, Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015[↩]
  2. Section 12, Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015.[↩]
  3. Rule 8(2)(iii), Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Model Rules, 2016.[↩]
  4. Section 14, Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015.[↩]

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Comments

Nagaraja

March 2, 2024

18years Olage Gotiddu Kallatana maadidare what is punishment of law

Reply

Alka Manral

August 20, 2024

Under S.303 (2) of BNS, enforced from 1st of july, 2024, a person commiting theft, may be punished with imprisonment for upto 3 years or a fine or both. In case the person has committed theft previously as well, the term may vary from 1 to 5 years. If the item invloved in theft is less than 5000 rupees, upon returning the stolen goods be sentenced to community service.

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