Ahmedabad leads the state in the number of pending cases before the juvenile justice board, with a 1,265 cases yet to be addressed. The district alone accounts for close to 19% of the 6,682 pending cases in Gujarat. On the bright side, while the pending cases have seen a marginal dip from 8,635 in 2016-17 to 6,682 in 2017-18, what has experts worried is the number of children coming in for serious offences. It should be noted that all cases of children in conflict with law are dealt before the Juvenile Justice Board, which can transfer heinous offences (those carrying more than 7 years of imprisonment) before the children's court. The state attributed the slight dip in pendency to the fact that it had proactively begun appointments to the juvenile justice boards in 26 districts of the state. An officer who has closely worked on child rights in Ahmedabad said at least the JJ Board in the district met regularly and attended cases. "I am not sure how it is in other districts and how often they meet. But more than the pending cases, it is the type of cases for which juveniles are being tried that is worrying,"said the officer. "Over years, the number of children being held for heinous offences is on the rise and this is a serious concern. I won't be surprised if 20% of the new cases pertain to children who are in conflict with the law for heinous crimes," said the officer. A child-welfare officer in the know said it is the old cases that are adding to the pendency numbers. "The new cases get addressed within a span of six months, but it is the old cases that are adding to the numbers. Some of the cases are so old that the then juvenile now comes with their children and grandchildren to attend the cases," said the officer. He said another reason could be the cases that drag both the accused and the victim for years if either of them fails to show up in. "Now, we hold meetings regularly with child-welfare officers in every police station and keep a track of the accused and the victims. We also meet to know the problems they face during summons. This has also helped reduce pendency," said the officer. He, however, disagrees with the fact that the number of juveniles being held for heinous crimes is on the rise. "It is not that murder and rapes by kids are rising. It is just that what is being bracketed as heinous crimes has changed. So, anything that carries over 7 years of imprisonment is seen as heinous crimes," said the officer. He added that a lot of children in conflict with law are often teenagers in love. "So, if they have had physical relation even with each others consent, they would still be charged under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences and it would automatically be treated as rape," said the officer.

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