Nirbhaya: HC dismisses convict's juvenile plea

December 19, 2019 17:11

The Delhi High Court on Thursday dismissed a petition filed by one of the death-row convicts in the Nirbhaya rape case, who had claimed that he was minor at the time of the offence and should be treated under the Juvenile Justice Act.

Justice Suresh Kumar, while dismissing his plea, also imposed a fine of Rs 25,000 on convict Pawan Kumar Gupta's lawyer A P Singh for not appearing before the court for hearing and wasting its time by trying to play "hide and seek" game.

The court has also asked the Delhi Bar Council to take action against the advocate.

The court had earlier adjourned till January 24 the matter but after Nirbhaya's parents objected, it recalled it and listed the matter for later today.

Gupta, in his plea, had stated that since he was juvenile in 2012 when the rape was committed, he should be treated under the Juvenile Justice Act. He alleged that his ossification test was not done at that point of time and he should be given the benefit of that.

The convict argued that the claim of juvenility can be raised at any time even after the final disposal of the case.

"Ossification test of the petitioner was conducted by the investigating officers. The age verification report filed by the investigating officers could not be relied upon. The convict should be treated as a juvenile under the Juvenile Justice Act," stated the petition. -- ANI

« Back to LIVE

TOP STORIES

Gukesh storms back, Pragg moves to joint third; Carlsen takes lead

World Championship challenger D Gukesh bounced back from a sedate start to defeat compatriot R Praggnanandhaa and Germany's Vincent Keymer before holding world No. 1 Magnus Carlsen after round six of the Superbet rapid and blitz...

Chess training may look cheap but it's expensive: Pragg calls for larger support

Young Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa on Friday called for a robust financial backing for chess, debunking the common concept that players require minimal monetary support to train and excel in the sport.

Green Recaps Dharamsala Drama

'Another classic, vintage Virat innings and Rajat got his fourth 50. The game had everything... Another good day for RCB.'

Right training key to run-machine Kohli: Moody

With Kohli in stunning form, RCB have brought a late momentum to their campaign securing four successive wins after enduring six losses on the trot.

SIP inflows peak at Rs 20K crore as MFs conquer 6.4 million accounts

The mutual fund (MF) gross inflows through the systematic investment plan (SIP) route topped the Rs 20,000 crore mark for the first time in a calendar month as investors opened a record 6.4 million SIP accounts despite a spike in market...