The Juvenile Justice System Act, 2018

Page 1 of 13 THE JUVENILE JUSTICE SYSTEM ACT, 2018 CONTENTS 1. Short title, extent and commencement 2. Definitions 3. Legal assistance 4. Juvenile Court 5. Arrest of a juvenile 6. Release of a juvenile on bail 7. Investig a tion in juvenile cases 8. Determ i nation of age 9. Disposa l of cases through diversion 10. Juvenile Justice Committee 11. Procedure of Juvenile Court 12. Trial of juvenile with adult person 13. Disclosure of identity of the juvenile 14. Report of probation officer 15. Powers of Juvenile Court to order for release

Page 2 of 13 16. Orders that shall not be passed with respect to a juvenile 17. Special provision for female juvenile 18. Appeal 19. Removal of disqualification attached with conviction 20. Establishment and certification of observation homes and Juvenile Rehabilitation Centres 21. Power of the Go v ernment to withdraw certificate 22. Insp e ction of ob s ervation homes and Ju v enile Rehabilitation Centres 23. Ac t to o v errid e other l a ws 24. Power to make rules 25. Repeal

Page 3 of 13 THE JUVENILE JUSTICE SYSTEM ACT, 2018 ACT No. XXI I of 2018 [ 18 th May, 2018] An Act to provide for criminal justice system for juveniles WHEREAS it is expedient to provide for criminal justice system and social reintegration of juveniles; It is hereby enacted as follows: ⸻ 1. Short title, extent and commencement. System Act, 2018. (2) It extends to the whole of Pakistan. (1) This Act may be called the Juvenile Justice (3) It shall come into force at once. 2. Definitions. ⸻ In this Act, unless there is anything repugnant in the subject or context, ⸻ (a) “best interest of the child ” means the basis for any decision taken regarding the child to ensure fulfillment of his basic rights and needs, identity, social well - being, physical, emotional and psychological development; (b) “child” means for the purposes of this Act a person who has not attained the age of eighteen years; (c) “Code” means the Code of Criminal procedure, 1898 (Act V of 1898); (d) “diversion” means an alternative process of determining the responsibility and treatment of a juvenile on the basis of his social, cultural, economic, psychological and educational background without resorting to formal judicial proceedings; (e) “Government” means the Federal Government or the Provincial Government, as the case may be; (f) “guardian” in relation to a juvenile means a parent or a person who has been appointed as a guardian by the court or a person who has actual care of the child; (g) “h einous offence” means an offence which is serious, gruesome, brutal, sensational in character or shocking to public morality and which is punishable under the Pakistan Penal Code, 1860 (Act XIV of 1860) or any other law for the time being in force with death or imprisonment for life or imprisonment for more than seven years with or without fine;

Page 4 of 13 (h) “juvenile” means, a child who may be dealt with for an offence in a manner which is different from an adult; (i) “J uvenile Court” means a court established under section 4 ; (j) “ J u venile J u s t ice Committee” m eans a co mm itt ee esta bl ished u nde r sect i o n 10 ; (k) “J u veni l e R ehabi li tatio n Centre ” means a p l ace w h e r e a juveni l e m ay be ke p t an d g i ve n educat i on , vocational or tec hn ical tra in i n g for his me n tal , moral and p s ychologi c a l deve l opm e nt a n d i n c l udes certified i n s tituti o n s , ju v e n ile t ra i nin g in s titution s , bo rs t al in s t i tuti o ns , vo c ation a l c e ntr es , d a rul - ama a n and women crises c entres e s tabli s hed b y th e Go ve rnment o r b y voluntary organ i zation a l certified by the Governm e nt ; (l) “Ju v en i l e o ffe nder ” m e an s a child who is all e ged to have committ e d or who ha s b ee n found t o have com mi tt ed a n of fence ; (m) “ m ajor offence ” m ea ns an o f fe nce fo r w hi c h puni s hm e nt u n der th e Pak is t a n P ena l Co d e , 1860 ( A ct X I V o f 1860 ) o r any ot her l aw for the tim e b ei n g in fo r ce is m o re than thre e ye a rs and u p t o se ven yea r s impris o nm ent w i th or w itho u t fin e ; (n) “ med ica l o ffi c er ” mean s a medical of f i ce r n o t i fied a s s u c h by the 1 [Division concerned or relevant department of provincial Governments] ; (o) “ minor o ff ence” m e an s an offen ce for w h ic h maxi mum punishment und e r the P akistan P en al C ode , 1860 (X LV of 1860 ) or an y other la w for the tim e b ei n g in fo rce is impri son m ent up to three y ears w i th or without fin e ; (p) “ ob se r va ti on h o me ” means a place whe re a j uv e nile is kept temporaril y aft e r bein g a ppr e h e nd e d b y p o lice a s w e ll as aft e r o btainin g r e mand fr o m J u v e nil e C o urt or o th e rwis e for c o ndu ct in g inquiry o r investi g ation fo r th e purpo ses of t h i s Ac t; (q) “ pre sc ri bed ” m ea n s p res cr i bed by rule s made u nd e r thi s Ac t ; (r) “ prob at i on of fic er ” m e a n s a p e r s on appoint e d u n der the Probat io n o f O f fend ers O rdi n ance , 1 96 0 ( X LV o f 19 6 0 ); a n d (s) “ suitable pe rs on ” means any p e r s on , trust, a ssoc iat i on or society duly rec og niz e d b y l aw wh os e obj e ct is w elfare a nd protection of childr e n. Explanation ⸻ person in this clause means the guardian of a juvenile or any other person appointed by a Juvenile Court for the purposes of this Act. 1 Subs. by Act No. III of 2022 , s. 2.

Page 5 of 13 3. Legal assistance. (1) Every juvenile or a child who is victim of an offence shall have the right of legal assistance at expense of the State. (2) A juvenile shall be informed about his rights available under the law by a legal practitioner within twenty four hours of taking him into custody. (3) A l ega l pra c tit i o n er app o i n ted b y th e 1 [Division concerned or relevant department of provincial Governments] or b y the Juvenil e court for pro v iding l e ga l a s s istance to a child v i c ti m of an o ff e n c e o r a juvenile s hal l have at least seven years s t andin g at the Bar. 4. Juvenile Court. (1 ) The 1 [Prime Minister] in co n s ult a tion with the concerned High Court sh a ll [ b y n ot ification in th e o ffici a l G az e t t e ] e s t a blis h or de s i g nate one or m ore J u ve n i l e C ourt s , within a pe r i od of thre e m o nth s o f th e commencement of thi s A c t . (2) A Juv e nile C ourt m a y be e s tabli s hed for on e or more s e s sion s division s and in that c a se the J uv enile Court may hold trial of a case at such place as the High Court ma y s pecif y . (3) No person shall be appointed as a Jud ge of a Juv en il e C ourt unle s s he is or has been a Se ss ions Judge or a n Addition a l S e s s i o n s Jud g e o r a Judicia l Magistrate v ested with power s und e r section 3 0 of t h e Co d e o r a p ra c ti ci n g advocat e w ho has at l east ten y e ars s t a n d i ng at Bar and the latt e r s hall b e a pp o inted o n suc h terms and conditions a s the 1 [Prime Minister] may determine in c o n sultation with th e concerned High Court . (4) The Juvenile C ou rt s hall have e x clu s iv e j uri s di c ti o n to try ca s e s i n which a juvenile i s ac c us e d of c ommission of an o ffen c e . (5) Subject to sub - section (4 ) , on co m mencement of this A c t all ca s e s pending before a trial court in which a juvenile is a ccus e d of an off ence s hall s tand t r an s ferred t o the Ju v en i le C o urt having jurisdiction . (6) The Juvenile C ourt shall not , merely b y rea s on of a change in it s composition or transfe r of a case under sub - section ( 5 ) be bo u nd to recall or re - hear an y witne s s who h a s g iven evidence and ma y a ct on the evidence alread y recorded . (7) If any c o urt t a king cognizance of an offen c e find s that an accu s ed brought before it is a juvenil e , i t s hall transfer h i s case to th e Juv e nile Court for further proceedings. (8) On takin g co gn izan c e of an offe n ce, th e J u ve nil e Co urt shall d e cid e the case within s ix month s . (9) Where t he case is not decided with i n si x month s in t e rm s of sub - s ection (8) , the Juvenile Court shall seek extension from the H i gh Court concerned explaining the reason s for not be i n g a ble to decide the ca s e wit h in pre s cribed tim e limit. If no such exten s ion has been sough t by the Juvenile C ourt , the c omplainant or the juvenile may mak e an application to the High Court in this r e sp e ct. 1 Subs. by Act No. III of 2022 , ss. 3 - 4.

Page 6 of 13 (10) The Ju v enile court ma y h o ld its s i tting at a place , other than the place in which the or din a ry co urts hold s itt i ngs for trial of other cases . 5. Arrest of a juvenile. (1 ) The arrested juvenil e shall be k ept in an obser v at i on home a nd the officer - in - c har g e of the police sta t ion shall , as s oon as possible , (a) in fo rm gu a rdi a n of t he ju v en i le , if h e c an b e fo und , o f s u c h ar r e s t and inform him o f the tim e, da te and name o f the Ju v eni l e Court b e fore which th e juvenil e s h a ll b e prod u c e d ; and (b) inform the concerned p r obation officer to enable him to obt a in such informati o n about the ju v enile and oth e r m a teri a l c ircum sta n c es which m ay b e o f ass i st an ce to t h e Ju ve nil e Court f or making i nquiry. (2) No ju v enile sha l l be a rr es ted und e r an y o f the l a w s de a lin g w ith prev e ntiv e d e t e ntion or under th e pro v i sio n s o f C h a pter VII I of th e Co d e . (3) The r e port under s e ction 1 73 o f the Code shall al s o des c ribe the s tep s taken b y the offi c er - in - charge f o r referring the matter to the Ju v enile Ju s ti c e Committe e fo r disp os al of case t h rough di v er s i o n , w here it w as so required under se c tion 9 . 6. Release of a juvenile on bail. ( 1) N o twith s t a ndin g a n y thing c ontained in the Code , a juveni l e acc u se d of b a ilabl e o ffen c e s ha l l , if already not released under sec t ion 4 96 o f the Co de , b e r e lea s ed by the Ju ven il e C ourt on bail with o r withou t s urety unl ess i t a ppe a r s th a t the re ar e r e a s onabl e gr ou n d s fo r beli ev in g th a t the rel ea s e of s uch juvenil e ma y bri ng him in a ss o c i a tion with criminal s or expose him to any other d a n g er . In thi s s itu a tion th e juv e nile sh a ll be placed under the cu s tod y of a suitable per so n o r Ju ve nil e Reh a bilitation Ce n tre und e r the s upervi s i o n o f probat i on o fficer. Th e ju v en i l e s hall not und e r any circumstance s be k e p t in a polic e station und e r p o lice cu s t o dy o r jail i n s uch cas e s . (2) The Ju v enile Court s hall , in a ca s e where a j uvenile is not rele ase d under s ubsection ( 1 ), direct the pol i c e fo r tracing guardian of such ju v enile and where g uardian of s u c h ju v enile is tra c ed out , the Juvenil e Court ma y immediately hando v er cust o d y of the juvenil e t o h i s gu a rd i an . (3) Where a juvenile is a rre s t e d or detained for commission of a minor or a maj o r o ffence for the purpose s o f thi s Act, h e s hall be treated as if he w as accused of c omm i s sio n of a bailable offence. (4) Where a juvenile o f m o r e tha n s i x teen years of a g e is a rre s ted or de ta ined for a heinous offence , h e ma y not be relea se d on bai l if the Juven i l e Court i s o f the opini o n th a t th e re a r e r e a so n a ble g r o u n d s to b e li eve t h at s u c h j uve nil e i s inv o l ve d in commission of a hein o u s o f f en c e . (5) Wher e the Juvenile Court i s of the opinion that the del a y in the tri a l of a juvenil e h a s not been occasio n ed b y an act or omi s si o n o f suc h j u v en i le or any other per s on act i ng o n hi s b e ha l f or i n exe r c is e o f any ri g ht o r p r i vi le g e under any la w fo r the time b e in g i n for c e , su c h ju ve nil e s hall be r e le as ed on b a i l i f h e h a s b ee n d e tained for a cont i nu ou s period e xc e e din g six m onth s and wh os e t r i a l h as n ot b e en c o mplet e d .

Page 7 of 13 . 7. Investig a tion in juvenile cases . (1) A j u v e nile s h a l l be int e rrog ated by a p o lice office r not bel ow t he r a n k of Sub I n sp ec tor und e r s up e r v i s i o n o f Superintendent of Poli c e or S DP O. ( 2) The in ve s ti ga ti o n o ffi ce r d es i g n a t e d un de r s ub - section (1) shall be assisted by a probation officer or by a social welfare officer notified by the Government to prepare social investigation report t o b e a nn ex ed w ith t he re p o rt p re p a r e d und e r se c t i on 17 3 of t he Co d e. 8. Determ i nation of age. (1 ) Wh e re a p e r so n a l l e ged t o hav e committ e d an offence phy s ically a ppears o r claims to b e a juv eni le for t he purpo s e o f this Act , the officer - in - charge of th e p o l ic e station or the i nve s t igation offic e r shall make an inquiry t o d e termine t h e a g e o f s uc h person on t h e ba s i s o f hi s birth certificate , e d ucational certifi c ates o r an y other pertinent do c ument s. In ab s en c e of s uch docum e nts , a g e of such ac cu se d per so n ma y b e d e t er min e d o n th e ba s i s o f a medic a l e xa m i n ation re port b y a m e di c al o ffic e r. (2) Wh e n an ac c u s ed p e r s on w ho p h ysic all y a pp ears t o b e a j u ve nile for the purp os e of this Ac t i s br o u g ht b efore a Co urt under sec ti on 167 of the Co d e , t h e Co urt b e fore g r a ntin g furth e r de t e nti o n s h a ll re co r d it s fi nd i n g s r e g ard in g a ge o n t h e b as i s o f a va i labl e r e c o rd includin g th e r e p o rt s ubmitted b y t h e po l i c e o r medi c al ex amin a ti o n r ep o rt b y a medi c al o f f i ce r. 9. Disposa l of cases through diversion. (1 ) Wi t h th e co n s e nt o f a ju ve nile or h i s guardian, as the c a se m ay b e , t he c o mpl a int ag a i n s t a j u v en i l e re latin g to offences a s spe c i fi ed in s u b - se c ti o n ( 6) s h a ll be re fe rred t o t he Ju ve nil e J u s tice C ommittee f o r di s p os a l o f th e s ame th r ou g h d i v ersion . (2) The di v ersion can b e e x e rci sed at an y s t a g e d u r i n g the c ourse of inv es tigatio n by the police and durin g trial by the pro s e c ut io n a nd the Court in the pre s cribed manner. (3) Where a c a s e is referred t o the Juvenile Ju s tic e C o mmittee by the p o lice , the submiss i on of r e port of pol i c e officer requir e d und e r s e ction 17 3 of th e Co d e s hall b e postpon e d till th e fi nal order o f t he C o mmittee. (4) The Juvenile Justice Committee shall dispose of a case, with consent of the person against whom the offence was committed, by resorting to different modes of diversion including ,⸻ (a) restitution of movable property; (b) reparation of the damage caused; (c) written or oral apology; (d) participation in community service; (e) payments of fine and costs of the proceedings; (f) placement in Juvenile Rehabilitation Centre; and (g) written and oral reprimand:

Page 8 of 13 Provided that where the complainant is a state functionary and the offence has not been committed against a private person, the Juvenile Justice committee may dispose of the case through diversion with consent of the concerned public prosecutor. (5) For the purposes of diversion, al l offences either minor or major shall be compoundable. (6) Diversion shall be exercised in the prescribed manner in cases , (a) where a juvenile is accused of commission of minor offences; and (b) where a juvenile is accused of commission of major offences and the age of the juvenile is not more than sixteen years at the time of commission of offence. 10. Juvenile Justice Committee. (1) o n commencement of this Act but not later than three months, the 1 [Law and Justice Division] in consultation with the concerned Se s sions Judge shall establi s h the Juvenile Ju s tice Committee for each sessions division . (2) The Juvenile Justice Committee shall consist of four member s with following composition, namely : (a) serving Judicial Magistrate with powers under section 30 of the Code , who shall also head the Committee; (b) district P u blic Pr os e c utor ; (c) memb e r of lo c al Bar havin g at l e a s t seven years s tanding a t the Bar, appointed b y the concerned Se ss ions Judg e for period of two year s ; (d) serving probation o fficer or soci a l welfare o ffi c er not below the ra nk o f an of ficer in BPS - 1 7 . (3) The plac e o f s itting o f the Ju v en i l e Justice Committee may pr e fer ab l y be in the same pr e mise s wher e th e Juve n il e Co urt hold s sitting . (4) The Juv e nile Ju s tic e Co mmitte e sh all per fo rm following functi on s, nam e ly: ⸻ (a) dispo s e of the case s thro u gh diversion upon referral from the poli ce , prosecut i on or the Juvenile C o urt , as th e c ase ma y be , w i t hi n a peri od of one m o nth from the d a te of the referral ; (b) inspect the observation homes and Juvenile Rehabilitat i on Centres and may give directions to the officer - in - charge of such places for the measures to be taken for w elfare a n d social re - in t eg r ation of the juvenile kept und e r their supe r vi s ion ; and 1 Subs. by Act No. III of 2022 , s. 5.

Page 9 of 13 (c) such other function s a s m ay be pre s cribed. (5) For the admin is tra t ion and f unctionin g of t h e Juve n ile Ju s ti c e Committee , provision of s taff s h a l l be wi t h i n the powers of the Se ss ions Judge of respective distri c t. 11. Procedure of Juvenile Court. (1 ) J u ve n ile Court s hall follow the pr o cedure provided for i n the C ode u nl e ss provided oth e rwise in th i s Act . (2) No per s on s hall be present at an y sit t i ng of the Juvenile Court, ex cep t, (a) s taff and offi c er s of the Juvenil e C ourt ; (b) parties to the ca s e before the Ju v enile C ou rt and s uch other person s who are dire c tly concerned with the pro c e e din g s includin g the polic e officer s; (c) g uardian o f t h e j u ve nile ; a nd (d) such o t he r pe r s on s as the J u venile Court direct s to be present. (3) A t an y s tag e of pr o c e edings, the Ju v enil e Court ma y i n the best intere s t of a j uv e n il e ’ s d e cen cy or mor a l i t y , direct a n y per s on to w ithdra w fr o m Court for s u ch period a s t h e C o u rt ma y direct. (4) I f at an y s tage of pr ocee d i n g s , the Ju v e n ile C ourt is s at i s fi e d that the attendance o f the ju v enile i s not e s sentia l for the purposes of the trial, the Juvenile Court ma y disp e nse with the a ttendance a nd pr o ceed with the trial o f the c ase in absence of the juveni l e. (5) When a juvenile who has be e n brought before t he Ju v enile Court is found t o be sufferin g from s er i ou s illne ss, whether phy s ical o r me ntal and require s tr eat m e nt , th e Co urt s hall send s u c h ju ve nile t o a hospital or a med ical institution where treatment s hall be g iv e n to the ju v enile at th e expen s e of the State . 12. Trial of juvenile with adult person. (1) Notwiths t anding a n y thing contained in sec t i on 2 39 o f the Code or an y other law for the time being in for c e and s ubje c t t o t he p rov i s i o n s of s ub - s e c tion s (2 ) and ( 3 ) , no juvenile m a y be charged w ith a nd tri e d fo r an offence t og ether wi t h a n adult. (2) A juvenile may be charged wi t h a nd tried together w i th an adult by the Juvenile Court i f the C ourt is sati s fied that it is in the interests of justice to hold a jo i nt trial. (3) In cas e o f joint tri a l , th e Ju v enil e Court ma y dispense with t h e phy s ical p res en c e of the ju v enile before it without any application in thi s r eg ard and juvenile may be allo w ed to join the Court proceedin gs t h rough audi o - visual technology link . 13. Disclosure of identity of the juvenile . (1 ) wh o ev er print s or publishes t h e n a m e or any ma tte r which m a y m a k e k no wn identi ty of a ju ve nil e s hall be puni s hed w ith impri s onment bf e ither de s cription for a term which ma y e xt end to thre e ye a r s a n d s h a l l a l s o be l iable t o fin e .

Page 10 of 13 (2) Nothin g in s ub - s ectio n (1) e x te n ds to any printing or publication of the n a me o r a n y matte r wh ic h ma y m a k e kno w n the identity of a j u ve nile i f such printing or publi c a t i o n i s , (a) b y or under the order in writin g o f t he officer - in - c h a r ge o f th e p o lice s t a t ion o r the police offi c e r making the i nvestig a tion into s uch offen ce acting in good faith for the purpose s of such investigation ; or (b) b y o r wit h the authoriz a tion in wr i t i ng of the juvenil e or th e n ex t - of - kin of the juvenile: Pr o vided that no such authorization shall be given by the nex t - of - kin to anybody other than the chairman or the secretary, by whatever name ca l led , of any recognized welfare institution or organization . E x planation . For the purposes of this sub - secti o n, “ recognised welfare institution or or g anization” means a socia l welfare i nstitutio n or organisat i on recogn i sed i n thi s behalf by the G o vernment . (3) Whoever prints or publishe s any matter in relation t o any proceedings before a Juvenile Court with re s pect to a juvenile referred to i n sub - section (1) without the previous permission of Juveni le Court s hall be punished wi t h imprisonment of either de s cription for a term which may e x tend to two years and shall also be liable to fine . Explanation. The printing or publication of the judgment of an y High Court or the Supreme Court does not amount to an offence within the meaning of this section. 14. Report of probation officer. (1) The probation officer shall assist and prepare a report on direction of the Juvenile Court within such time as may be directed the Court at any stage regarding, ⸻ (a) juvenile ’ s character, educational, social and moral background; (b) juvenile ’ s admission of c o mmitting an offence , if any, m ade with free consent and voluntarily ; (c) any evidence that juvenile actually committed the offence ; (d) all legal and appropriate assistance provided at all levels to juvenile for his understanding , concept and consequences, even to the child ’ s family and guardian; (e) steps taken for mediation or compromise with the complainant or victim and pos s ibility of settlement; and (f) possibility of sending the juvenile to Juvenile Rehabilitation Centre or release on probation . (2) Subject t o sub - section (3) the report of the probati o n officer submitted to the Juvenile Court shall be treated as confidential.

Page 11 of 13 (3) The Juv e nile Court may, if it s o thinks fit, communicate substance o f the report to the juveni l e’s guardian an d , where any one of them di s putes the contents o r v i ews c on ta ined the rei n , th e Ju ve nil e Co urt m ay gi ve s uch ju venile or gua rd ian , as t h e case m ay b e , a n opportuni ty of producing s uch evidence as ma y b e rel ev an t t o the matte r s t at ed in th e r e port . 15. Powers of Juvenile Court to order for release . ⸻ On r ece ip t of repo rt un de r se c ti o n 1 4 and on conclu s i o n of an inqu i ry , in v e st i ga tion or tria l , t h e J u veni l e Court may, k ee p i n g in vie w the best i ntere s t of the c hi l d, ⸻ (a) pa s s a n o rd e r fo r r e l ease o f th e juv e nil e o ffe nd e r aft e r the v ict im o r c omplai n an t , as th e case m a y b e, pa rdon s h im: Provi ded th at th e Ju veni l e Co u rt m ay r efuse to r el e a se t h e ju ve nil e of fe nd e r e v e n if th e victim o r com p l a in a nt pa rd o n s i f th e Ju ven il e Co urt for reaso n s t o be r eco rd e d i n w rit i n g consi d e r s t h a t s uch r el eas e i s e ith e r aga in s t th e publi c p o li cy or the i n t erests of t h e St at e ; (b) p a ss an o rder for th e co mmuni ty s e rv i ce , fine , compen s ation t o th e v ictim o r comp l ainan t re s titution o f pr o p e rt y , co u nse lin g; (c) direct th e ju v enile o ffe nder t o be rel eas ed on proba t i o n for g ood c o ndu ct and pla ce such ju ve nile o ffender under c a re of a g u ard i an or a n y suitabl e p e r s on or s u c h Juvenile Rehabilitation C e ntre establi s hed o r certifi ed fo r the purp oses of thi s Ac t fo r a n y period no t ex ceedin g th e p e riod o f co nfi n e me nt awar ded to such juv en i le ; (d) di rect the p roba ti o n o ffi c er t o s u b m i t p ro b at ion r epo rt i n pr esc ri bed mann e r : Prov i de d th a t if a ju ve n i le o ff e n der fai l s to c omp l y w i th t h e orders o r v i o l ates t he c onditi o n s o f ord ers of re l eas e on pr o b a ti o n , th e Ju venile C ourt m ay p a s s a ny order as it m ay t hink fi t, i ncl u din g c a nc e ll at i o n of pr o b at i o n o rd e r ; or (e) m ake a n o rd er dir ec ti ng th e ju v enil e offen d er to b e sent to a Juv e nile R ehab il ita t io n C en t re until h e a tt a in s t he age o f eig h tee n year s or till the compl eti on of p e riod of impri s onment , w hichev e r comes ear li e r . 16. Orders that shall not be passed with respect to a juvenile. (1) No p e r so n w ho wa s a j uv e nile offend e r a t th e tim e of commis s ion o f a n offence s ha ll be aw arded puni sh men t of d ea th. (2) N o ju ve nil e o ffend e r s h a ll b e co mmitt e d to p r i so n , o rde r ed to la b o ur , put i n fe tter s , h a ndcu ffe d o r g i ve n a n y cor p o r a l pun is hme nt a t any ti m e whi l e in cust od y: Provided that if there is reasonable apprehens io n of the escap e of the juvenile offender from custody who is more than s ixteen y ears of ag e and invo lv ed in heinous offence or he i s previously convic t ed of an o ff ence puni s h a ble w i th impri so nment for life , for reasons to be recorded, he may be handcuffed or p u t into a so litary confinement in a Juvenile Rehabilitation Centre or ob s erv a tion home for a peri o d not exceeding twenty - f o ur hours .

Page 12 of 13 17. Special provision for female juvenile. (1 ) No f e ma l e juvenile shall in any circumstances be apprehended or investigated by a male police of f icer or r e leased on prob a tion under supervision of a male officer. (2) A female juveni l e shall only be kept in a Juvenile Rehabilitation C entre established o r certified exclusively for female inmates. 18. Appeal. (1) Any person convicted by a Juvenile C o urt may prefer an appeal in accordance with the provisions of the Code. (2) In case of a juvenile offender , the appeal may be preferred by guardian acting on behalf of the juvenile. (3) The Government or any person aggrieved by an order of acquittal passed by the Juvenile court may, within thirty days , prefer an appeal against such order in accordance with the provision s of se c tion 41 7 of the Code. 19. Removal of disqualification attached with conviction. ⸻ Subject to provision s of the con s titution , a juvenile offender con v icted unde r t he pr ov i s ions of this Act shall not suffer a disqualification , if any, attaching to a co nviction of a n offence under such law . 20. Establishment and certification of observation homes and Juvenile Rehabilitation Centres. (1) The 1 [Interior Division in consultation with the Division concerned] may establi s h and maintain observation home and Juvenile Rehabilitation Centres for the recept i on of juveniles, includin g sep arate centres fo r female juvenil e s : (2) The 1 [Interior Division] may certify an observ a tion home o r a Juv e nile Rehabilitation centr e managed or controlled by a non - governmental organization for recept i on of juveniles . (3) The 1 [Interior Division] may certify an already established association or society in a ny local area for s ocial reintegration or rehabilitation of a juvenil e offender who is released on parole or discharged from a Juvenile Rehabilitation Centre and may regulat e activit i es and functions of such released or discharged ju v enile offender in the prescribed manner. 21. Power of the 1 [Interior Division] to withdraw certificate. ⸻ T h e 1 [Interior Division] , if dis s a t isfi e d w ith t h e c o nditio n , ma nagement or s u p er inte ndenc e of a c e rtified o bserv atio n hom e o r a Ju ve nil e Re ha bilitat io n centre , ma y at an y time withdra w the certifi c a t e issued under s ection 20 in prescribed man ne r . 22. Insp e ction of ob s ervation homes and Ju v enile Rehabilitation Centres . ⸻ I n o rd e r to r ep o rt t o th e Ju v en i le c o u rt o r Ju ve n i l e Ju s t i c e co mmi tt ee on m easures b eing take n fo r soc i a l re i n teg r atio n , hea lth , educ at i on or o t he r co nditi o n s of t h e i n mat e s a m edica l officer ’ a m e mber of the Co mmitt ee, w i t h p r ior ap pr ova l of h ea d o f th e Co mmittee o r an o f f i ce r a uth o r i z e d b y th e 1 [Division concerned or relevant department of provincial Governments] , may in s p ec t an obs e rva ti o n h o m e or a Ju ve nile Reh abi l i t a tion Centre . 1 Subs. by Act No. III of 2022 , ss. 6 - 8.

Page 13 of 13 23. Ac t to o v errid e other l a ws. ⸻ Th e provi s i o n s o f thi s Act s h a ll hav e o v e rridin g effe ct no t w ith s t a ndin g a n y t hi ng c o n t ain e d i n a n y o t her l a w f o r t h e tim e be in g in force . 24. Power to make rules. ⸻ T he G ove rnment ma y , b y no tificat io n in the offi cial Ga ze tte , m a ke rule s for ca rry i n g o ut t h e purpose s of th is Act. 25. Repeal . ⸻ The Juven i le J u s tice Syste m Ordinance , 2000 ( XXII o f 2 000) i s h e r eby r e pe al ed . _____________ RGN Date: 22 - 07 - 2024