Minor sent to jail without trial at JJ board, High Court sets aside conviction

CHENNAI: The High Court set aside the life sentence imposed on a 17-year-old boy by a Nagapattinam court in a murder case and directed that the case be tried by the Juvenile Justice Board.

In the 2022 murder case of Vanniyar Sangam town president Kannan in Mayiladuthurai, a 17-year-old boy and others were arrested.

Instead of being tried before the Juvenile Justice Board, the case against the minor was tried along with other accused above 18 years of age before the Nagapattinam sessions court, which sentenced him to life imprisonment.

Though the Nagapattinam court had ordered that the minor be sent to a juvenile reformation home after sentencing, he was lodged in Cuddalore Central Prison due to the absence of such a facility.

Challenging the trial before the sessions court and his detention in a regular prison as illegal, the boy's mother filed a habeas corpus petition before the Madras High Court seeking his release.

The case came up before a bench comprising Justices Anita Sumanth and Sunder Mohan.

In their order, the judges stated that trying the minor with an adult accused was against the Juvenile Justice Act, as he was not 18 years old during the time of the offence.

They also held that lodging him in a regular prison instead of a juvenile home was illegal. Accordingly, the conviction and life sentence were set aside.

The judges then transferred the case to the Mayiladuthurai Juvenile Justice Board and directed that it be completed within six months.

They also granted conditional bail to the minor and ordered compensation of Rs 1 lakh for his illegal detention in Cuddalore Central Prison since June 2023.