SC ORDERS TRIAL OF KEY ACCUSED IN KATHUA RAPE, MURDER AS ADULT

NEW DELHI: Leniency towards juveniles is emboldening them to commit heinous crimes, the Supreme Court said on Wednesday in its judgment on a plea by one of the eight accused in the brutal murder and gang rape of an eight-year-old tribal girl in J&K’S Kathua in 2018.

The top court directed that the accused, Shubham Sangra, be tried as an adult, setting aside the October 2019 order of the J&K high court which held him to be a juvenile at the time of the crime.

“It is for the Government to consider whether its enactment of (Juvenile Justice Act) 2015 has proved to be effective or something still needs to be done in the matter before it is too late in the day,” the court said.