On Friday, the Juvenile Justice Board in Hyderabad ruled that four of the five accused minors arrested in the Jubilee Hills gang-rape case might be prosecuted as adults. At the time of the crime in May, the accused were aged between the ages of 16 and 18. The fifth accused, the son of an All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) leader facing molestation allegations in the case, may be prosecuted as a juvenile.
According to the reports, Radhika Gavvala, the Juvenile Justice Board’s Fifth Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate and Principal Magistrate in Hyderabad, issued a preliminary assessment decision to that effect under Section 18(3) of the Juvenile Justice Act, 2015. Six people were arrested in June for gang-raping a 17-year-old girl on May 28 in Hyderabad’s upscale Jubilee Hills area. The arrested persons included five CCLs (children in conflict with the law) and an adult named Saduddin Malik.
Jubilee Hills gang-rape case, Hyderabad | Juvenile Justice Board pronounces judgement that four of the five juvenile accused can be tried as adults while the fifth can be tried as a juvenile.
— ANI (@ANI) September 30, 2022
The five were arrested for allegedly gang-raping a minor girl in June 2022.#Telangana
The teenage girl went to a pub for a party and was reportedly sexually abused in an SUV after the accused promised to drive her home. All five juveniles were given bail in the latter week of July, except Saduddin Malik, who was granted bail on August 3. After the initial arrests, the Telangana police had decided to file a petition with the Juvenile Justice Board to treat the five CCLs as adults during the trial, to ensure that they get the maximum punishment.
The board conducted a preliminary investigation into the four CCLs charged with gang rape, but not the MLA’s son, because the charges against him were not horrific, according to the order. The examination was conducted by mental health specialists as well as the Juvenile Justice Board’s Principal Magistrate.
The order noted that the four CCLs hailed from well-to-do households and were active in academic or extracurricular activities. They had no traumatic experiences or maltreatment from their family and were capable of comprehending the implications of their acts.
“They were not under the influence of alcohol or other substances. There were no compelling circumstances in which the CCLs allegedly committed the offense. Hence, I am of the opinion that the CCLs should be tried as adults having regard to the gravity of the offense alleged against them”, the Principal Magistrate said in the order. Reports mention that the case involving these four CCLs has been moved for trial to the Nampally Children’s Court.
