Kerala HC Guidelines to Prevent Juveniles Tried as Adults

Two young people were wrongly imprisoned for 14 years because their ages were not checked during their arrest in 2004. They were sentenced to life imprisonment based on incorrect assumptions.

In 2024, an inquiry revealed they were only 17 years old at the time of the crime, making them juveniles.

New rules under the Juvenile Justice Act, 2000, now require checking age to prevent juveniles from being tried as adults. The rules also ban keeping juveniles with adults and encourage laws for compensation and better protection.

The Court cited Jitendra Singh v. State of UP (2013), emphasizing the judicial duty to order inquiries when an accused’s juvenile status is in doubt.