Minor accused in Kamble double murder to be tried as adult

Nagpur: District and additional sessions judge VB Kulkarni on Thursday ordered transfer of pending hearing against the minor named in Kamble double murder case to the sessions court from Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) treating him at par with his three other adult kin and co-accused.
The order, first in city and second in the state after amendment in the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2000, was issued citing the gravity of the case in which journalist Ravikant Kamble’s mother Ushatai (54) and his one-and-half year old daughter Rashi were allegedly murdered by Ganesh Sahu, his wife Gudiya, another family member Ankit Sahu and the juvenile who had also disposed of the bodies in a nullah at Vihirgaon on February 17 this year. A moneteray dispute had led to the murder.

City police had filed chargesheet against Ganesh, his wife Gudiya and their kin Ankit before the special court constituted under the Scheduled Tribes and Scheduled Castes (Prevention of Atrocity) Act earlier this year. The chargesheet against the minor, aged 17 years, eight months and 21 days on the day of the crime, was filed before the JJB. JJB had decided to try the juvenile in conflict with law in the Kamble double murder case.

The prosecution had preferred to appeal before sessions court against the decision of JJB in June this year. District Government Pleader (DGP) Nitin Telgote represented the prosecution. The court, following Telgote’s argument, pronounced the verdict on the grounds that JJB had not heard both the sides. The court also stated that the JJB had overlooked the report of the psychiatrist and probationer officer that had underlined the fact that the juvenile was physically and mentally capable of committing crime and also knew it’s consequences at par with his adult co-accused.