Passage

Directions for the next 2 (two) items : Read the following passage and answer the items that follow. Your answers should be based solely on the passage. Passage The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, or the JJ Act, 2015 allows for the possibility for trying adolescents above 16 as adults if they are accused of committing a heinous offence. A heinous offence is one with a minimum punishment of seven years. Offences such as culpable homicide and causing death by negligence, which are common in drunken driving cases, are not heinous offences because they do not have a prescribed minimum punishment. The JJ Act, amended in 2021, now categorises an offence that has no minimum sentence, but has a maximum sentence of seven years or more as a serious offence which nonetheless, in the opinion of activists, does not merit the transfer of a case to the adult criminal justice system.

Which of the following statements is/are correct? 1. If an offence has no minimum prescribed punishment, it cannot be considered heinous as per the JJ Act, 2015. 2. As per the JJ Act, 2021, an offence for which there is a provision for a maximum sentence of seven years or more, but no minimum sentence, is to be considered a serious offence. Select the answer using the code given below.

(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2 ✓ UPSC's answer
(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Why the answer is (c)

• Statement 1 is correct because the passage explicitly defines a heinous offence as one with a minimum punishment of seven years, meaning offences without a prescribed minimum punishment cannot be heinous.

• Statement 2 is correct because the passage states that the JJ Act, amended in 2021, categorises an offence with no minimum sentence but a maximum sentence of seven years or more as a serious offence.

• Since both statements accurately reflect the definitions and amendments described in the passage, both are correct.

• Therefore, the option indicating that both statements are correct is the right answer.

Why the other options are wrong

(a) 1 only: This option is incorrect because Statement 2 is also correct according to the passage's description of the 2021 amendment.
(b) 2 only: This option is incorrect because Statement 1 is also correct as the passage defines heinous offences by their minimum punishment requirement.
(d) Neither 1 nor 2: This option is incorrect because both statements are explicitly supported by the text provided in the passage.

Asked in the CSAT Paper II of the UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination 2026, held on 24 May 2026. Question and answer key: Union Public Service Commission. Explanation: UPSC Answer Check.