The Telangana police is mulling filing a petition with the Juvenile Justice Board seeking to treat the five CCLs (child in conflict with law) as adults during the trial in the gang-rape case, to ensure that the accused get the maximum punishment, a move hailed by state Minister KT Rama Rao. Six people, including five juveniles have been apprehended in connection with the sexual assault of a 17-year-old girl on May 28. One juvenile was purportedly seen in videos misbehaving with the victim, but was not involved in the offence, police said.
Hyderabad Police Commissioner CV Anand told PTI that they are considering filing a plea before the board to treat the five as adults to ensure that they receive maximum punishment. He had already said that stringent sections of law have been invoked against those involved in the heinous crime and the punishment under the sections could be imprisonment for life till death or even death penalty.
The case is now under investigation and once the charge sheet is filed, a requisition will be made to the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) to make a recommendation that the five CCLs be tried as adults, police sources said adding "otherwise as juveniles they get only three years jail term". In a tweet, TRS Working President K T Rama Rao said, "I welcome & support the stand of @TelanganaCOPs. If you are adult enough to commit a crime as heinous as rape, one must also be punished as an adult & not as a juvenile (sic)."
Meanwhile, the police took custody of the adult accused lodged in a prison, after a local court granted his custody. The police sought custodial interrogation of the accused as part of further investigation into the case, including for recreation of the scene of offence. In a related development, the Juvenile Justice Board allowed a petition of the police, seeking custody of three CCLs for questioning them for four days from June 10. The teenage girl, who visited a pub in Hyderabad on May 28 for a day-time party, was allegedly raped by five persons, including four juveniles, police had earlier said. The girl was sexually assaulted in a Multi Purpose Vehicle (MPV) after the suspects had offered to drop her home in the vehicle.