In what was termed as an “exception” by the Bihar court, a 16-year old local boy was absolved of kidnapping charges and was allowed to take care of his minor “live-in” partner and their 8-month-old daughter at his parents’ home. Nalanda Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) principal judge Manvendra Mishra carried forth this judgment on Monday.
As per a report in TOI, it all started on February 11, 2019, when an FIR was filed with the Hilsa police station alleging the kidnapping of a minor girl by a local boy, his elder brother, and their parents. Later, the investigating officer removed the accused juvenile’s brother and parents from the FIR as he did not find their involvement to be sufficient during the investigation.
In July 2019, the minor girl, who is 18 months older than the boy, appeared before the court stating that she had run away to Delhi with the accused juvenile at her own will. She added that they lived there as a couple, and they had an 8-month-old daughter as well.
Rajesh Pathak, who is the case’s additional public prosecutor said, “The juvenile accused, who was only 14 years of age, at the time of committing the ‘crime’, had surrendered in court on February 20 this year and was sent to a place of safety in Sheikhpura district.”
The court observed, “The act of the minor boy was punishable in law, but he was acquitted in the larger interest of the lives of three minors — the boy himself, his minor live-in partner, and their eight-month-old daughter. The order is an exception and it cannot be used to take advantage by anyone.” The court further directed the accused juvenile’s parents to treat the minor girl as their married daughter-in-law, and the infant as their legitimate granddaughter. The parents were also asked to fulfill all their needs.
The parents agreed to the court’s decisions, and the father of the girl, who was the complainant, also consented to not pursue the case any further. The court then directed Hilsa Bal Kalyan police officer to submit a report every six months for the next 2 years confirming the well-being of the girl and her daughter.
The trial started on March 19 and concluded on Monday. Pathak concluded, “This is the first case in the country in which a trial has ended in just three working days. Earlier, a Madhya Pradesh court had completed a trial in four working days.”
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