As four culprits go to gallows, juvenile accused leads a nondescript life

Over four years ago, on December 16, the juvenile accused – reportedly the most brutal of all the culprits in the gang-rape-cum-murder case – had boarded the white chartered bus with the intention of collecting Rs 8,000 he had lent to the bus driver Ram Singh.

The juvenile had lent the money a few months ago and had been pestering Singh to return it. On December 16, 2012, Singh called the boy telling him that he will be repaid that night. Never would the juvenile culprit have thought that he would be involved in the most horrific gang-rape incident in the country.

Amod Kanth, the founder of NGO Prayas, kept in touch with the juvenile during the Juvenile Justice Board in-house camera trial at Feroz Shah Kotla.

"The boy had lent Rs 8,000 to Ram Singh, who was not returning the money. On that night, Singh called the boy and later he was made a party to the horrific crime," said Kanth.

The juvenile used to keep to himself and would be terrified of the media pressure and the public anger "I feel trapped," he told his welfare officer.

As the Supreme Court upheld the death sentence verdict for four of the accused, and the packed courthouse broke out in cheers and applause as the verdict was being read out, the juvenile, now 23-years-old, was unaware of the verdict.

His welfare officers, who played a crucial role in rehabilitating him, have said that he has made tremendous improvements in his life.

"I cannot reveal his location but he is currently living in a remote part of a South Indian city and is happy," said a NGO officer.

According to Amod Kanth, the juvenile has come a long way in life as he had to flee from his home at age nine. "His father was mentally unstable at the time and his mother was a beggar. He had to take up odd jobs to survive. His was a typical case of a neglected child from an impoverished background," said Kanth.

The true extent of his involvement in the gruesome incident may never be known, as the NGO officials based on his behaviour have claimed that he was not a monster as the media painted him to be.

"The impact of this case led to a setback in juvenile justice. They want to imprison children who don't even contribute one percent in the crime statistics. Out of the one percent half of them turn out to be innocent," said Kanth.