India’s upper house of parliament has passed a bill lowering the age at which youths can be tried for serious crimes. <br /><br /> The law will allow those in the 16 to 18-year-old bracket who are found guilty of rape and murder to be given the same punishments as adults.<br /><br /> The move follows the release of a minor convicted in the 2012 gang rape and murder of Jyoti Singh, a 23-year-old physiotherapy student, on a Dehli bus. <br /><br /> Five men and one minor were convicted.<br /><br /> Four of the adults were sentenced to death while the fifth hanged himself in prison.<br /><br /> The youth was short of his 18th birthday at the time of the incident and his release last week sparked a debate on whether the country was too lenient on young offenders. <br /><br /> He served three years in a reform home.<br /><br /> The incident led to widespread public protests demanding tougher laws to protect women and girls from sexual violence.<br /><br /> Jyoti Singh’s mother said she was sad that her daughter did not get justice but she was satisfied with the passing
