The juvenile justice system in India is founded on the principles of child protection, rehabilitation, and social reintegration, recognizing that children in conflict with law require a distinct legal approach from adult offenders. The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015 represents a comprehensive legislative effort to align domestic law with constitutional mandates and international child rights standards. Despite its progressive and child-centric framework, the effective implementation of juvenile justice laws in India continues to face serious challenges. This article undertakes an analytical study of the key issues affecting the implementation of juvenile justice laws, focusing on institutional, socio-legal, administrative, and judicial dimensions. The study examines structural constraints such as inadequate infrastructure, insufficient financial resources, and shortage of trained personnel, which significantly weaken the functioning of Juvenile Justice Boards, Child Welfare Committees, and child care institutions. It further analyses procedural delays, inconsistencies in age determination, and poor conditions in institutional care, highlighting the gap between legislative intent and ground-level realities. Societal stigma, public demand for punitive justice, and the marginalization of vulnerable children are explored as critical socio-legal barriers to rehabilitation and reintegration. The article also evaluates the role of the judiciary in strengthening juvenile justice through landmark judgments, while drawing attention to persistent concerns regarding implementation failures and administrative apathy. The article concludes that legislative reform alone is insufficient to achieve the objectives of juvenile justice. Effective implementation requires coordinated institutional action, adequate resource allocation, capacity-building of stakeholders, and a shift in societal attitudes towards a rehabilitative and rights-based approach. Strengthening these aspects is essential for ensuring that juvenile justice in India functions as an instrument of social justice and child welfare.
Agrawal et al. (Sun,) studied this question.