The Supreme Court on Friday rejected the bail plea of a 16-year-old boy, accused of killing a seven-year-old student in a private school in Gurugram, saying that the crime fell under the category of “heinous offence”.
The accused, who has been treated as an adult under a new law, claimed that he could not be awarded death or life sentence for the alleged offence of murder in accordance with the Juvenile Justice Act.
A Bench of Justices R.F. Nariman and Indu Malhotra rejected the plea, saying the alleged crime fell under the category of “heinous offence” and life sentence could be given with a possibility of remission.
Advocate Gaurav Agarwal, appearing for the accused, who was a student in the school, argued that the law says that no child shall be sentenced to death or punished with life imprisonment.
The court, however, said Section 302 (murder) of the IPC comes under the category of heinous offence.
“The special leave petition is dismissed. Pending applications stand disposed of,” the Bench said.