In Brief
Sanjay Patel was convicted in 2006 for murder under Section 302 IPC and sentenced to life imprisonment for a 2004 offence. After 17 years of imprisonment, he filed a miscellaneous application claiming he was a juvenile (17 years, 7 months, 23 days) at the time of the offence. The Juvenile Justice Board confirmed this through inquiry. The Supreme Court held that since the applicant had already served substantially more time than the maximum three-year period prescribed under juvenile justice law, it would be unjust to further detain him. The Court directed his immediate release, treating equity and proportionality as paramount considerations in juvenile justice.
The lawyer headnote and full judgment text are available to registered users.