In a rare bail order, a Juvenile Justice Board in Delhi directed six children in conflict with law (CCLs), accused in the murder of a 17-year-old boy, to remain outside the national capital as a condition of their release and not return without prior intimation to the Board.
He had been called outside by the boys and was later found unconscious near his home. The order was passed by Juvenile Justice Board-4, East District, on May 2 in a case registered at Mayur Vihar Phase-1 police station under sections 103(1) (murder), 115(2) (causing hurt), 126(2) (wrongful restraint) and 3(5) (common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. The six minors had been in protective custody since January 6, according to the order seen by HT. Police said the 17-year-old Class 11 student from a government school in Mayur Vihar was beaten to death in January, allegedly by the six teenagers, following an argument over a comment on a social media post in east Delhi’s Trilokpuri.
The investigating officer had also filed address verification reports for the proposed places of residence. It also imposed safeguards aimed at protecting the victim’s family and witnesses. The Board noted that all six had undergone counselling and had remained in custody since January 6.
Their lawyers told the Board that the parents and guardians had assured it that the children were not associated with known criminals or “bad association/elements” and that they had full control over them. “There would be no useful purpose in keeping all the CCLs in protective custody in the present matter,” the order said. It also recorded undertakings from their parents and guardians to take proper care of the children, and concluded that their release was not likely to bring them into association with known criminals or expose them to “moral, physical and psychological danger”. “All the CCLs or their respective family members will not induce any threat or try to influence the family of the victim/witnesses,” the order stated.
Because bail orders concerning children in conflict with law ordinarily focus on supervision, care, protection and ensuring that the child does not come into contact with criminal influences, “The direction is notable.
In this case, the Board combined those safeguards with a specific restriction requiring the six minors to remain outside Delhi,” a government official said.
