How failure to destroy juvenile crime records is hurting children’s rehabilitation

Newslaundry · Oct 23, 2026

In India, recruitment drives for the armed forces, central paramilitary forces, and state police organisations often see qualified candidates suddenly disqualified during background checks. In most instances, the issue is not an adult criminal record but rather a childhood infraction that comes to light and derails their careers before they even begin.

In one such case I worked on, a candidate cleared the recruitment process and joined constable training in a Central Armed Police Force (CAPF). After joining, he was required to fill out a verification form revealing his criminal antecedents…