Gurugram School Murder: SC Rejects Bail Plea of Accused Teen

The Supreme Court of India.

(Photo: PTI)

The bail application of a teenager accused of killing a 7-year-old boy at a private school in Gurugram has been denied by the Supreme Court.

WHAT DID THE COURT SAY?

According to NDTV, a three-judge bench headed by Justice RF Nariman, and comprising of Justices Navin Sinha and Indira Banerjee said:

“We have heard counsel for all parties exhaustively including learned counsel appearing on behalf of the complainant. Since the petitioner is now being tried for the purposes of bail only as an adult, we see no reason to interfere with the impugned judgment of the high court at this stage. Accordingly, the Special Leave Petition is dismissed.”   

WHAT DID THE CBI SAY?

According to NDTV, the CBI had opposed the bail plea and said that the accused did not deserve any leniency.

Further, the CBI also said that the Juvenile Justice Act cannot be used to alter the course of justice.

WHAT DID THE VICTIM’S FATHER SAY?

The victim’s father, through advocate Sushil Tekriwal, too opposed the bail plea and said that the accused can be a serious threat, reported NDTV.

WHAT DID THE ACCUSED ARGUE?

The accused had filed his appeal, alleging that the high court had incorrectly observed a possibility of witness-tampering in the case, reported NDTV.

Further, the accused also said that, owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, the possibility of the trial starting in the near future was bleak.

WHAT WAS THE HIGH COURT’S VERDICT?

The Punjab and Haryana High Court had dismissed the bail application of the accused in June and had said in its order:

“This court is not inclined to grant any relief to the petitioner, in view of the order dated 28 February 2019, passed by Supreme Court, directing that for deciding the bail application, the petitioner be treated as an adult; therefore, there is little scope for this court to find out whether the petitioner can be granted the relief under Section 12 of Juvenile Justice Act.”   

BACKGROUND

The accused, then a Class 12 student, had allegedly killed the seven-year-old boy in September 2017, in the hope of getting his examinations postponed and an upcoming parent-teacher meeting cancelled.

(With inputs from NDTV.)