Home / Legal Explainers / Crimes & Violence / Property Related Crimes / Theft / Theft by Child

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 hours(( Section 10, Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015)).
  • If the police does not release the hold immediately on bail, the child can only be kept in an Observation Home(( Section 12, Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015.)) 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 hearing(( Rule 8(2)(iii), Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Model Rules, 2016.)).

JJB is supposed to finish the enquiry within 4-6 months, and the case is terminated if it extends beyond that(( Section 14, Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015.)).

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

How useful was this post?

Click on a star to rate it!

Average rating 4.3 / 5. Vote count: 7

No votes so far! Be the first to rate this post.

Please share your feedback about this post!

Sharing feedback will help us improve our content. Tell us how!

If you want to keep your feedback confidential, please mention it in your feedback. If you have a question, please ask us in the comments or Ask Nyaaya sections.

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.

Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Have a question you want to ask our legal experts?

Ask Nyaaya

Related Resources

Types of Theft

Theft is not just a crime if personal items are stolen. Many other forms of theft are there and the law punishes people who commit theft based on the situation as well as depending on who they are.
Crimes and Violence

Child-Friendly Court Process

There are Special Courts set up to deal with child sexual abuse because of the sensitivity of the issue. Unlike normal Courts, these Courts are supposed to follow a special procedure to make sure that the child feels safe and comfortable.
Crimes and Violence

Procedure for Adoption by Relative (Non-Religious Law)

As a relative of a child, following the non-religious law to adopt, you can adopt both within India and also do inter-country adoptions.

Filing a Complaint against Child Labour

Complaining about any instances of child labour can be via the different modes enumerated in the post.

Recording a Child’s Statement on Sexual Abuse

While recording a child’s statement on the abuse, the police should follow the rules laid down in law, mentioned herein.
Crimes and Violence

Reporting Child Marriages

Anyone can file a complaint of child marriage, including the child. It doesn't matter whether the child marriage has taken place or not.