The Juvenile Justice Board in Hyderabad on Friday pronounced that the four of the five accused minors in the Jubilee Hills gang-rape case could be tried as adults, ANI reported. The accused were aged about 16 to 18 years at the time of the incident in May.
The JJB said the fifth accused, the son of an All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) legislator facing molestation charges in the case, could be tried as a juvenile.
Six people were arrested, including one 18-year-old (Saduddin Malik) and five CCLs (child in conflict with the law), in June for allegedly gang-raping a 17-year-old girl on May 28 in Hyderabad's upscale Jubilee Hills area.
The teenage girl, who visited a pub for a party, was allegedly sexually assaulted in an SUV after the accused had offered to drop her home in the vehicle.
All the five minors were released on bail in the last week of July, while Saduddin Malik was granted bail on August 3.
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The principal magistrate of the Juvenile Justice Board said based on her interactions with the CCLs, she was of the opinion that they "have mental and physical capacity and also understand the consequences of the offence", a report in The News Minute said.
"They were not under the influence of alcohol or other substances. There were no compelling circumstances in which the CCLs allegedly committed the offence. Hence, I am of the opinion that the CCLs should be tried as adults having regard to the gravity of the offence alleged against them," she said in the order.
(With Inputs From Agencies)