Four Jubilee Hills gangrape accused to be tried as adults
HYDERABAD: The Juvenile Justice Board on Friday ruled that four of five accused in the sensational Jubilee Hills gang rape case will be tried as adults, while the fifth accused, the son of an MLA, will be considered a minor. Accordingly, Section 18 (3) of Juvenile Justice Act, 2015 was invoked and the case transferred to a city court for trial.
In its orders, the Board, said: “Considering the fact that the accused were well aware about the repercussions, their mental and physical capacity to commit the offence were taken into account.”While five of the accused were below 18 years of age at the time the alleged gang rape took place, the sixth accused was an adult. The four have been charged under IPC Sections 323, 363, 366, 366a and 376d as well as relevant Sections of the POCSO and IT Acts while the fifth minor accused is only charged with outraging the modesty of a woman intentionally and Sections of the POCSO and IT Act.
The accused were also assessed by a Professor of Psychiatry from the Indian Institute of Mental Health. In its report, the Board said that the assessment revealed that it was clear that all of the accused have a fair thought process with good intelligence levels. None of them consume alcohol or are habituated to any narcotic substances and all are capable of understanding the consequences of their actions.
Brief background
The alleged crime took place on May 28, 2022 at Road No. 44 in Jubilee Hills when the six accused met the victim at the Amnesia-Insomnia Pub. At the pub, the accused allegedly lured the victim to come along with them. She was taken to a secluded place in Jubilee Hills and was allegedly raped. She was later dropped back at the pub.