The age limit of 8 years, under which no act of a child is considered an offence is to be increased to 12 years shortly by way of an Amendment to the Penal Code. The Government last Friday gazetted a bill to amend Chapter 19 of the Penal Code to give effect to the above revision of the age limit.
According to the Bill “Nothing is an offence which is done by a child under 12 years of age. Nothing is an offence which is done by a child above twelve years of age and under fourteen, if the judge is of the opinion that the child has not attained sufficient maturity to understand the nature and consequences of his act”. If the child, who committed the offence, is between 12 and 14 years of age, law enforcement authorities must consult the discretion of a Magistrate to determine whether the child has the required degree of maturity to commit an offence.
Cabinet approval for the amendments was granted last month. The move to increase the minimum age of criminal responsibility was after considering the opinions of psychologists and other experts on the subject.
-Internet