Hyderabad, April 25 (). The Telangana High Court on Tuesday set aside a POCSO court order treating a minor accused in the Jubilee Hills gang rape case as an adult.
The High Court pronounced its verdict on a petition filed by a minor accused challenging the order of the POCSO court. After the order of the High Court, now four accused in this sensational case will be tried as adults and two accused as minors.
In September last year, the trial court had ruled that four of the five minors involved in the case could be tried as adults considering the gravity of the offence. Six accused, including an adult, were arrested in June last year for gang-raping a 17-year-old girl in a car in Hyderabad’s posh Jubilee Hills area.
After partying, the accused gang-raped the victim on the pretext of giving lift. The crime was committed on May 28, but came to light on May 31 when the victim’s father lodged a police complaint. The case had sparked national outrage.
Five accused, including the son of a leader of the ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), were accused of gang rape, while the sixth accused, who is the son of a Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) MLA, faces molestation charges. Used to be.
Sections 376D (gang rape), 323 (causing hurt), section 5(g) (gang penetrative sexual assault on a child) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) against Saduddin Malik and four minors under Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses (POCSO) The case was registered under sections 6 of the Act read with 366 (abduction of a woman) and 366A (procreation of a minor girl) and section 67 of the Information Technology Act.
The sixth minor was not involved in the rape but kissed the victim in the car. A case was registered against him under IPC sections 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 323 and 10 of section 9(g) of the POCSO Act. On June 28, the police filed charge sheets in both the Nampally Criminal Court and the Juvenile Justice Board as five of the six accused in the case were minors.
However, the police requested the Juvenile Justice Board to allow the minors to be tried as adults, considering the serious nature of the crime. In September, the board gave its approval and later the POCSO court also ruled in its favour. All the accused are currently out on bail.
KC/ANM
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