(Image source from: gulfnews.com)

One among the four convicts in the Nirbhaya case has claimed that he was a juvenile at the time of commission of the offence which has been rejected by the Supreme Court today. The convict, Pawan Kumar is said to be hung on February 1. The Delhi High Court has rejected the plea of Pawan Kumar earlier.

The Supreme Court has said that, there exists no ground to entertain the petition that has been filed as once the examination of the issue regarding the juvenile has been rejected by the courts, it cannot be raised again.

The advocate who has appeared for Pawan has argued that, the convict was a juvenile at the time the crime was committed. AP Singh has argued that, his school certificate is the proof that he was a minor and no court has ever considered the documents of Pawan.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta has said that Pawan was 19 years old at the time of the offence and there exists certified copies of his birth certificate as well as the certificate of the convict leaving the school which was taken on record by each and every judicial forum.

The police has also said that, the parents of Pawan had confirmed his age and has agreed with no dispute that he was above 18 when the incident of Nirbhaya being gang-raped, tortured and killed had taken place in December 2012.

Six men were arrested in the Nirbhaya case out of which one was said to a juvenile and has been released after three years in reform home.

Pawan Gupta has filed a complaint on Friday saying that he was a minor when he was indulged in the Nirbhaya crime. The complaint has been filed when the date for hanging the four convicts has been announced. The date is confirmed to be on February 1 at 6 am.

The Nirbhaya case is of a young woman who was gang-raped in a moving bus and was tortured by inserting an iron rod before being dumped on the road with severe internal injuries. The name of the woman has not been revealed and has been named as Nirbhaya who died two weeks later after the incident has taken place. This incident took place on 16 December, 2012 and has left the entire nation in shock and anger, demanding justice.

By Shrithika Kushangi