Bihar juvenile board tells minor to plant 20 trees in school as punishment

The minor was caught by the police in Gopalganj on the charges of carrying liquor and was sent to a remand home. JJB found him guilty.

The Gopalganj Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) has awarded an innovative punishment to a minor found in possession of liquor, banned in Bihar.

The minor has been asked to take care of the planted saplings for two months. (HT Photo/Representational use)

Principal magistrate Rakesh Mani Tiwari and JJB members have tasked a youth with planting 20 trees in a government school and its care for two months as punishment. The JJB also instructed Gopalganj DFO to provide trees to the boy and directed his school headmaster to submit a compliance report on the boy after 20 days.

The minor was caught by Uchkagaon police on the charges of carrying liquor and was sent to a remand home. JJB found him guilty and awarded punishment.

“As the boy is too young, the board decided not to send him to a reform home, as it could affect his studies and he could feel isolated. However, spreading awareness will bring him closer to the society and make him more responsible. It will give him an opportunity to reform himself, which is the ultimate goal of law,” the magistrate noted.

The juvenile board said that a harsh punishment was not always the best way to reform a person, especially when one is of tender age. He will also tell the people to plant trees and create awareness about the need for greenery, it said.