Supreme Court Grants Bail To 13 "Juvenile" Offenders After 14 Years In Jail

The 13 convicts, currently lodged in Agra Central Jail, had moved the supreme court seeking immediate direction for their release.

The Supreme Court on Thursday granted interim bail to 13 convicted prisoners, keeping in view the fact that they were declared as juveniles by the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) at the time of the commission of the offence, had already served 14 years jail sentence. The prisoners who are currently lodged in Agra Central Jail in Uttar Pradesh were given bail on personal bond. A two-judge bench of the Supreme Court, headed by Justice Indira Banerjee and also comprising Justice V Ramasubramanian granted interim bail on Thursday to 13 convicted prisoners. Lawyer Rishi Malhotra, appearing for the jailed prisoners told the bench that previously, the Supreme Court had already issued a notice in the petition, and it is a case of illegal detention. Senior lawyer Garima Prashad, appearing for the Uttar Pradesh government, told the court that the acts have to be verified. "We have seen the case. But the interim bail may be granted to them."