In Brief
In this 2020 criminal appeal, the Supreme Court considered whether Satya Deo, convicted of murder in 1981 and sentenced to life imprisonment, was entitled to juvenile justice protection decades later. The Court held that a person is a "juvenile" if they were under 18 years of age on the date the offence was committed, not when they appear in court. Although Satya Deo's 1981 conviction predated the Juvenile Justice Act 2000, the Act applies to all pending proceedings and protects juveniles at any stage, even after conviction and appeal. The Court set aside the life sentence and remitted the case to the Juvenile Justice Board to determine appropriate orders, which may include fine and compensation but not imprisonment under the original sentence.
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