Delhi gang-rape case: High court refuses to stop Juvenile’s release

Mangalore Today News Network

New Delhi, Dec 18, 2015: The youngest of six men who raped and tortured a young medical student on a moving bus in 2012 is likely to walk free on Sunday, with the Delhi High Court today saying he could no longer be kept at a special home.

"We agree it is a serious issue. But after December 20, a juvenile cannot be kept at a special home per law," the court said, adding that the Juvenile Justice Board should interact with the convict, his parents and the Centre to figure out a rehabilitation plan.

The convict was just a few months short of 18 when he and five others attacked 23-year-old Jyoti Singh and her friend on the night of December 16, 2012, in an incident that shook India to the core and led to protests in the country as well as abroad.

Now 21, the convict was sentenced to three years in a reform home, a punishment seen by many as disproportionate to the enormity of the crime. It spurred demands for changes in the law so teenagers involved in serious crimes can be tried as adults. Four other rapists have been sentenced to death and a fifth was found dead in prison.

This morning, Jyoti’s mother, Asha Devi made a passionate appeal against his release, saying, "If he is released, then it will not be good for society. If he is released, then his face should be shown."

Earlier this week, the Centre had urged the court to stop his release until there was more clarity on a rehabilitation plan.

Amid public outrage over the convict’s release, the Delhi Police had even considered charges under the National Security Act to keep him in jail.

Union Woman and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi had also written to the Home Ministry demanding that sex offenders be tracked after release.

 

Courtesy: ndtv