Bangladeshi freed from Indian jail after 12yrs
Delhi High Court yesterday ordered immediate release of a Bangladeshi youth, languishing in Tihar jail for nearly 12 years following his conviction in a murder-cum-robbery case, after finding that he was a juvenile delinquent when he committed the crime.
A division bench of Justices BD Ahmed and Veena Birbal ordered the release, pointing out that as per the law, a juvenile (below 18) convicted for committing a crime is not liable to be detained beyond three years.
“On the date of the incident, that is, on May 7, 2000, the appellant was below the age of 18 years and was a juvenile as per the provisions of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2000,” the bench said.
The bench ordered the release accepting a report of the board of doctors from All India Institue of Medical Sciences about the age of the juvenile convict.
“The medical board was of the considered opinion that the bone age of the convict was 25 years to 28 years. This means that on the date of the incident, the appellant was between 14 and 17 years old,” said the bench.
The court gave its order on an appeal by the Bangladeshi migrant challenging his conviction and entailing life term as punishment in the case. The court, however, dismissed his plea against his conviction.
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