Demand for release of juvenile offenders, 13 inmates lodged in Agra Central Jail for 14 to 22 years

- The board admitted that all of them were under 18 years of age at the time of the crime

New delhi date. Thursday, July 01, 2021

The apex court on Thursday sent a notice to the Uttar Pradesh government seeking immediate release of 13 convicts from jail. All the convicts were declared minors at the time of the crime and are currently lodged in Agra Central Jail. All these convicts are kept in jail along with the heinous criminals.

The petition, filed through advocate Rishi Malhotra, said that after a public interest litigation was filed in the Allahabad High Court in 2012, the Juvenile Justice Board was directed to deal with petitions relating to juvenile delinquency of prisoners. All 13 petitioners were then declared minors at the time of the crime. That means the board admitted that they were all under the age of 18 at the time of the crime.

A bench headed by Justice Indira Banerjee has sent a notice to the UP government in the case asking it to reply within a week and the next hearing will be held on July 8.

The petition said that despite a clear order from the Juvenile Justice Board declaring the petitioners juveniles between February 2017 and March 2021, no action was taken to release them all. At the same time, it is important to note that these decisions of the board have not been challenged.

"This represents an unfortunate and tragic situation in Uttar Pradesh," the petition said. "Even more tragic is the fact that the petitioner, lodged in Agra Central Jail, has already spent 14 to 22 years in jail," it said.