Overview

• The bench of Chief Justice B R Gavai and Justice Augustine George Masih upheld the 1993 conviction under Section 376 but ruled the adult jail term unsustainable for a juvenile offender.
• Judges found the accused was 16 years, two months and three days old on November 17, 1988, applying the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2000 to his case.
• The court directed the Ajmer Juvenile Justice Board to hold a hearing on September 15, 2025, to impose punishment consistent with juvenile justice provisions.
• Prosecutors’ case rested on the survivor’s credible testimony alongside witness statements and medical evidence, which the apex court deemed beyond doubt.
• The ruling affirms that pleas of juvenility can be raised at any stage of proceedings and that sentencing must reflect child-protection safeguards.