Court acquits 29-year-old for murder committed 11 years ago

The sessions court in Mumbai has acquitted a 29-year-old man arrested for murdering a senior citizen eleven years back after it was proved that he was then a juvenile, as per the amended Juvenile Justice Act.

The sessions court in Mumbai has acquitted a 29-year-old man arrested for murdering a senior citizen eleven years back after it was proved that he was then a juvenile, as per the amended Juvenile Justice Act.The accused, Joseph Paul (name changed) who has been lodged at the Nashik jail since his arrest in 1998, was released by the sessions court last week after he claimed benefit of the amendment.The amendment raises the age limit of juveniles from 16 to 18 years for boys. The maximum sentence a juvenile can serve is three years.

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The Bombay High Court held that the definition of juvenile is retrospective and any teenager under 18 at the time of arrest can avail of the benefits of the Act.In December last year, it ordered jail authorities to prepare a list of juveniles who come under this definition and submit it to district courts.

Principal judges of district courts in Maharashtra and Goa were ordered to dispose off applications within three months.