Roots of Rebellion: Exploring the Underlying Causes of Juvenile Delinquency in Contemporary India

ABSTRACT
The phenomenon of juvenile delinquency represents one of the more telling fault lines in India's social
and legal architecture. This article examines the constellation of factors: economic deprivation, fractured
family structures, peer dynamics, and the disruptive pull of digital media that collectively propel children
into conflict with the law. It interrogates the adequacy of the governing statutory scheme, namely the
Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act1, 2015, which stakes its legitimacy on a
rehabilitative rather than punitive rationale. Drawing on a doctrinal analysis of primary legislation,
Supreme Court pronouncements, and secondary socio-legal scholarship, the article argues that the
legislative framework, though conceptually sound, is undercut by fragmented implementation, procedural
inconsistency, and an underprepared institutional apparatus. It further contends that the growing incidence
of technology-facilitated juvenile offences demands a calibrated expansion of the legal framework. The
article concludes that lasting reform requires coordinated investment in family support, community
infrastructure, and adaptive legal policy none of which can succeed in isolation.