The Juvenile Justice Bill was listed for discussion and passing in the Rajya Sabha on Monday after demands from members, amid protests over the release of the 16 December gang-rape juvenile convict. The bill was subsequently taken up in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday. [caption id=“attachment_2555602” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Maneka Gandhi. Screengrab from RSYV[/caption] Introducing the bill, Maneka Gandhi, Minister of Women and Child Development, insisted that the bill was comprehensive in nature. “This is a very nuanced bill… some people are oversimplifying this bill. If it is perceived that it was a thought-out, adult and planned crime, it would not be considered a childlike crime”, she said. Explaining the bill, Gandhi said the juveniles will still have the power to appeal even if a court decides that they will go to an adult jail. “If juvenile is sent to jail, they will be sent to a borstal until they are 21 years old, after which there will be a review,” she added. “Newspapers will tell you that juvenile crimes are the fastest rising segment of crime,” Gandhi further said. Adressing the rumor that juvenile was radicalized in remand home, Gandhi asked what exactly were Kashmiri terrorists doing in a children’s home in the same place as a juvenile convicted of rape. She said it was important to pass the Juvenile Justice Bill because of the seriousness of the crimes committed by some juveniles. “Are we going to protect the victims or are we going to protect the rapists?” Gandhi asked in Rajya Sabha. Concluding her argument, she directed speech at the opposition, “This bill was started by you (Opposition), finished by us but it affects us all.”