Allahabad High Court
Minor X vs State Of U.P. And Another on 24 July, 2023
Bench: Subhash Chandra Sharma
HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT ALLAHABAD
?Neutral Citation No. - 2023:AHC:146592
Court No. - 80
Case :- CRIMINAL REVISION No. - 1990 of 2023
Revisionist :- Minor X
Opposite Party :- State of U.P. and Another
Counsel for Revisionist :- Achal Singh,Prashant Kumar Singh
Counsel for Opposite Party :- G.A.,Rakesh Chandra
Hon'ble Subhash Chandra Sharma,J.
Heard learned counsel for the revisionist as well as learned learned counsel for the opposite party alongwith A.G.A. for the State and perused the material on record.
The present criminal revision has been preferred by the revisionist through his father under Section 102 of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection) Act-2015 (hereinafter referred to as "J.J. Act, 2015) to allow the present revision and set aside the impugned judgment and order dated 02.03.2023 passed by learned Additional District & Sessions Judge/Special Judge (POCSO Act), Sonbhadra in Criminal Appeal No.14 of 2023 dismissing the appeal and confirming the order dated 14.02.2023 passed by learned Juvenile Justice Board, Sonbhadra rejecting the bail application of revisionist in Case Crime No.99 of 2022, under Sections 376, 504, 506 I.P.C. & Section 67 of Information Technology Act, Police Station Kon, District Sonbhadra and also prays to release the revisionist/delinquent on bail in the aforesaid case.
It is submitted that in this case the delinquent/applicant was aged about 17 years and the victim was aged about 19 years at the time of alleged incident. She came into the contact with the delinquent and physical relations were also established between both of them with consent and later on when the present delinquent refused to marry with the victim as a result present F.I.R. was lodged. No any force or violence is said to have been used by the present delinquent while getting the consent of the victim for establishing physical relations, therefore, no case u/s 376 I.P.C. is made out against him. Further submitted that the report submitted by the D.P.O. is also not adverse for the present delinquent even though the juvenility of the delinquent was not considered either by the J.J. Board or by the appellate court and also the provisions as contained u/s 12 of the aforesaid Act were not considered by the courts below while passing the aforesaid orders. The delinquent is in Juvenile Care Home since 14.09.2022 and his psychology is being affected adversely, therefore, requested to set aside the orders passed by the J.J. Board as well as appellate court and allow the present criminal revision as the orders passed by the courts below cannot be said to be in conformity with law.
Learned counsel for the opposite party as well as A.G.A. opposed the prayer as aforesaid.
Considering the facts and circumstances of the case, submission made by learned counsel for the revisionist as well as learned A.G.A., perusal of record, the provisions as contained u/s 12 of Juvenile Justice Act, the report submitted by the District Probation Officer and the confessional statement of other co-accused persons and the role of the present delinquent, it appears that Juvenile Justice Board as well as the appellate court had not considered the relevant provisions and the material on record in well manner but passed the orders without applying their judicial mind. In this way, there appears ground in this revision and the orders passed by the Juvenile Justice Board as well as learned appellate court are liable to be set aside.
Accordingly, the orders passed by Juvenile Justice Board dated 14.02.2023 and the appellate court dated 02.03.2023 are, hereby, set aside and the present criminal revision is hereby, allowed.
It is directed that delinquent/father be released on bail in the aforesaid case on executing person bond by the revisionist (father of the delinquent) and two sureties each in the like amount to the satisfaction of the Juvenile Justice Board concerned on following conditions :-
(i) The natural guardian/father will furnish an undertaking that upon release on bail the revisionist will not be permitted to go into contact or association with any known criminal or allowed to be exposed to any moral, physical, or psychological danger and further that the father will ensure that the juvenile will not repeat the offence.
(ii) The natural guardian/father will further furnish an undertaking to the effect that the juvenile will pursue his study at the appropriate level which he would be encouraged to do besides other constructive activities and not be allowed to waste his time in unproductive and excessive recreational pursuits.
(iii) Juvenile and the natural guardian/father will report to the Probation Officer on the first Monday of every calendar month.
(iv) The Probation Officer will keep a strict vigil on the activities of the juvenile and regularly draw up his social investigation report that would be submitted to the Juvenile Justice Board concerned on such a periodical basis as the Juvenile Justice Board may determine.
Order Date :- 24.7.2023
Ashok Gupta
