16 December gang rape case: Verdict on juvenile likely today
1 Sept 2013 5:04 AM IST
The verdict on the minor accused in the 16 December, 2012 gang rape here is likely to be pronounced by the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) on Saturday.
The board, presided over by Principal Magistrate Geetanjali Goel, will pronounce the first verdict in the case around 10 am.
The incident occurred in Munirka in south Delhi when a 23-year-old female physiotherapy intern was brutally gang raped in a bus that she and her male companion had boarded.
The boy, who was 17-and-half years old at the
time of the incident, has turned 18.
The accused could face a maximum punishment of a three-year stay in a special home, including the time already spent in detention during the board proceedings.
The Supreme Court on 22 August had allowed the board to go ahead with pronouncing its verdict after accepting Janata Party president Subramanian Swamy’s plea for a fresh interpretation of the term juvenile.
Swamy had moved the apex court saying that the ‘mental and intellectual maturity’ of minor offenders be considered instead of the age limit of 18 years while fixing their culpability.
Admitting Swamy’s plea, the bench of Supreme Court had said it would examine the larger issue of immunity granted to a juvenile accused involved in heinous offences from being tried under the normal criminal laws.
The boy has been separately held guilty on robbery charges, the sentence for which will also be pronounced 31 August.
The incident sparked protests with some people demanding the execution of the accused and some calling for chemical castration.
The board, presided over by Principal Magistrate Geetanjali Goel, will pronounce the first verdict in the case around 10 am.
The incident occurred in Munirka in south Delhi when a 23-year-old female physiotherapy intern was brutally gang raped in a bus that she and her male companion had boarded.
The boy, who was 17-and-half years old at the
time of the incident, has turned 18.
The accused could face a maximum punishment of a three-year stay in a special home, including the time already spent in detention during the board proceedings.
The Supreme Court on 22 August had allowed the board to go ahead with pronouncing its verdict after accepting Janata Party president Subramanian Swamy’s plea for a fresh interpretation of the term juvenile.
Swamy had moved the apex court saying that the ‘mental and intellectual maturity’ of minor offenders be considered instead of the age limit of 18 years while fixing their culpability.
Admitting Swamy’s plea, the bench of Supreme Court had said it would examine the larger issue of immunity granted to a juvenile accused involved in heinous offences from being tried under the normal criminal laws.
The boy has been separately held guilty on robbery charges, the sentence for which will also be pronounced 31 August.
The incident sparked protests with some people demanding the execution of the accused and some calling for chemical castration.
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