Demand for release of 13 minor convicts lodged in Agra Central Jail
Notice to the UP government on the petition filed in the Supreme Court
The Supreme Court has issued notice to the Uttar Pradesh government on a petition seeking the immediate release of 13 minor convicts who have been declared minors at the time of the offence. All of them are currently lodged in Agra Central Jail. These culprits have been kept in jails along with dreaded criminals.
The petition, filed through advocate Rishi Malhotra, said that after a PIL was filed in the Allahabad High Court in 2012, the Juvenile Justice Board was directed to dispose of the applications relating to the juveniles of prisoners. Thereafter, all the 13 petitioners were declared minors at the time of commission of the offence. That is, the board found that all of them were below 18 years of age at the time of the crime. A bench headed by Justice Indira Banerjee has issued notice to the UP government in this matter and asked it to file a reply within a week.
Next hearing will be on July 8
The petition said that despite a clear order by the Juvenile Justice Board to declare the petitioners as juveniles between February 2017 and March 2021, no steps have been taken to release all of them. It is also to be noted that these decisions of the Board have not been challenged. It has been said in the petition that this reflects the unfortunate and regrettable situation in Uttar Pradesh. The petition said, the more sad aspect is that these petitioners lodged in Agra Central Jail have spent from 14 years to 22 years in jail.
