Ryan school murder case: Accused to be tried as an adult, rules JJB

Gurugram, Oct 17 (SocialNews.XYZ) The Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) in Gurugram ruled on Monday that the juvenile, accused of killing a seven-year-old boy at Ryan International School here, will be tried as an adult.

As per reports, the trial will begin on October 31 at the sessions court of Gurugram.

On July 13, the Supreme Court had ordered that the juvenile accused be examined afresh to ascertain whether he should be tried as an adult or a minor for the alleged crime and remanded the case to the JJB.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) also argued before the JJB, that the juvenile accused in the murder case must be tried as an adult.

Similarly, a report from the Pandit Bhagwat Dayal Sharma Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (PGIMS), Rohtak, asserted that "there is no valid test or examination that can retrospectively determine the medical capacity, maturity, and ability of the accused".

Earlier, the JJB board members separately assessed the accused for a few hours to determine his mental state.

Counsel for the victim side termed it a "turning point" in the case. "The verdict of the board that the juvenile will be treated and tried as an adult is historic."

"The juvenile will now be produced before a sessions court and the judge will then assign the case to the relevant child sessions court for the trial," he said.

He added that "the verdict (of the JJB) meant that the juvenile, if convicted, would not be set free after three years and could be sentenced to even 14 years in jail". However, as per Section 21 of the JJ Act, he cannot be sentenced to death or life imprisonment, he added.

On September 8, 2017, the body of a Class 2 student with his throat slit was recovered inside the school's toilet. For the murder, CBI apprehended a Class 11 student from the same school. The accused, who was 16 at the time of the incident, turned 21 this year on April 3.

Source: IANS