After spending seven months in Mangalore District Prison, an accused in the homestay attack case on Wednesday walked free after being declared a minor.
The police had filed a charge sheet a week ago terming an accused in the July 28 attack case as a minor. The case was then referred to Juvenile Justice Board which ordered the release of the accused on bail.
According to Kishore Kumar, advocate representing the minor, the court had directed the police to verify the age of the accused. The police then submitted to the court that the person was aged 17 when the incident had occurredWhen asked why it took so long for the accused to be deemed a minor, Mr. Kumar blamed the police. “It is their fault for not cross-checking the documents. His parents are ailing, and the sister had to come from Bangalore, obtain certificates from the college here, where he was in PUC first year, to prove his date of birth. The police should have cross-checked this immediately after the arrest,” he said.
He said the State Human Rights Commission would be moved demanding action against the police.
