Supreme Court releases man after finding he was juvenile at time of offence

The Supreme Court has ordered the release of a man, who has already served over 12 years in jail after being awarded life sentence in a murder case, holding he was a juvenile when the offence was committed in 2005.

The SC referred to a May 2023 report of an additional sessions judge, who was asked to conduct an enquiry with regard to the plea of juvenility, which said his date of birth was May 2, 1989. "If the date of birth of the petitioner is May 2, 1989, he was 16 years 7 months old as on the date of the crime, i.e., December 21, 2005. Accordingly, the petitioner was a juvenile in conflict with the law on the date of commission of offence," the SC said.