In Brief
A man accused of murdering his relative claimed to be a juvenile (under 18 years) at the time of the offence. Lower courts relied on school transfer certificates recording his birth date as 18.04.1995 to declare him a juvenile. However, the Supreme Court found those school certificates unreliable because they were based solely on the accused's father's oral statement without supporting documents. Conflicting evidence—including a statutory family register, voters' list, and medical examination—indicated the accused was around 21-22 years old at the time. The Court held that in grave offences like murder, courts must not allow accused persons to abuse juvenile protection laws through unsubstantiated claims of minority. Medical and public documentary evidence must be given weight over unreliable school records. The Court set aside the juvenile declaration and ordered the accused tried as a major, with trial completion by July 2026.">
The lawyer headnote and full judgment text are available to registered users.