In Brief
Satya Deo was convicted of murder under the Indian Penal Code, but claimed to be a juvenile at the time of the offence. The Supreme Court held that the reckoning date for determining juvenility is the date of the offence, not the date of first appearance in court. The Juvenile Justice Act, 2000 applies prospectively to pending cases only if the person was under eighteen years on 1 April 2001. The appeal was partly allowed and the matter remitted to the Juvenile Justice Board for determination of custody and compensation under the 2000 Act.
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