Father of 16-yr-old suspect to move HC

GURUGRAM: The father of the 16-year-old has decided to move the higher court against the session court’s order to try the juvenile as an adult in connection with the murder of a Class 2 student in Gurugram last year.

On Monday evening, as soon as additional session judge Jasvir Singh Kundu pronounced his judgment, upholding an earlier order of the Juvenile Justice Board to treat the juvenile as an adult, the father left the courtroom.

“I will not give up. This order has shaken my family as we were hopeful the decision would be in our favour, but this is not the end. I will file a writ petition against the order in the high court,” the 16-year-old’s father said.

The juvenile faces the charges of killing the Class 2 student by slitting his throat in the school toilet on September 8, 2017.

The family of the suspect attributed massive media attention in the case for the decision.

“There are juveniles who are into more serious and heinous offences and are still tried as juveniles, there are hundreds of examples in the Guru- gram court itself and the accused are out on bail too. Earlier, the Central Bureau of Investigation officials had pressured my innocent child. From a prime witness in the case, he was eventually made the ‘main accused’. He was threatened and framed for something he has not done,” the father said.

The father said that as per the doctors and the social investigation report, it was nowhere specified that his son, who has an average IQ, should be tried as an adult.

“As per the test, his IQ score was 95. Where is it written that a child with this score should be treated as an adult? I fail to understand how the law system works, there is no evidence against my son and the trial has also not begun but he is being treated as if he has committed the crime,” said father.

The accused, who is lodged at observation home, Faridabad, was unaware of the decision, said Dinesh Yadav, superintendent.

“I haven’t received the order yet, though it will not make any difference on his stay here as the final verdict is awaited,” Yadav said.

Yadav said the boy will write his Class 12 exams next year from open school.